Children of the North
by Aria6
Summary: AU fantasy story! Viking themed story. Roxas was taken as a baby to replace the child of a Northern family. Axel is his best friend and cousin by adoption. What will happen to them? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

_It started with a skirmish on Gallhorn's Heights._

'_Twas a trade caravan going hither to Sandarr's fief, near the ice sands. The family is Iswulf was there, for they had kin in that high and barren land. A cousin was about to give birth and they would go to celebrate the joyous event and join her prayers for a boy._

_Alas, their own joy was cut short when the people of the plains attacked. Their child was a boy and but a weanling. The people of the corn no doubt did not mean to kill a mere babe, but arrows go where they will and he breathed his last that day. The caravan fought them off and ripe with anger, brought their tale of death and danger to Sandarr's fief._

_A counter raid was launched, 'gainst the holdings of the warriors who had thought to steal the treasure of the caravan. They had underestimated the rage of the Glisterheim and Sandarr lead the day to glory, smashing the town and looting it to assuage the blood debt. Yet Iswulf's honor was not appeased. The cousin's child had died in birth and they had no male heirs of their name. Perhaps the god would bless them with another boy to carry their name to the heavens, but would they have only girls? Girls, though wondrous, cannot hold the honor of a family._

_So when a little child, barely more than a weanling, tried to attack Iswulf's head with a dagger, an idea came to him. This would be his blood price. A child of his enemies to take the place of the boy they had killed. A little warrior, he would grow up strong and straight and carry the family honor._

_So it was decided. Sandarr granted him the right of honor and the child was sworn to him. When Dagstyrr Iswulf brought the child home, harsh words were exchanged for his loyal wife, Arnfasta, hoped for another boy of her own. But the weanling endured like a warrior and held back his tears, despite his great distress. So Arnfasta took the lad under her wing and raised him as her own._

_Iswulf's wisdom was proven when no children were born to them, girls or boys. In time Arnfasta would be declared barren but Dagstyrr would not leave her. And so this child bore their name and honor in the Glisterheim._

_His name was Roxas._

* * *

Sometimes, Roxas wondered who had told him the story. It couldn't have been his father. Dagstyrr didn't like to be reminded that Roxas was not his own blood. His mother, Arnfasta, might have told it to him. It couldn't have been Axel. His cousin wasn't capable of telling a story like that without embroidering and it had the ring of truth to it. Whenever Roxas thought of it he decided it must have been Arnfasta. She believed in truth at all times and Roxas had not been her first choice as a son…

He wasn't the only bearer of the Iswulf name now, thankfully. There were three male cousins, all of whom were past the dangerous age. That was good because now his parents wouldn't have to spend an obscene amount finding him a bride. Roxas didn't really want to get married, which was good because he wasn't likely to. The women of the Glisterheim were impressed by his skill with weapons but very much put off by his lack of height.

They lived deep in the Cleft of Hrafin. A small mountain valley, it was inaccessible during the winter and hard to reach even in the summer. Raids rarely reached them but despite that, the town was cut deep into the mountainside and designed for war. Roxas glanced at the cold stone walls, reflecting on them for a moment. The weight of the stone was a bit oppressing but overall it had a very solid feel.

His family home was comfortable if not luxurious. The table was made of stone and the matching chairs were softened with furs and animal skins. The only adornments on the walls were a crossed pair of axes, pitted and scarred from the battles they had seen. When he'd been a child, Roxas had sometimes tried to reach those axes, to touch the hilts in wonder. The stories behind them were great and terrible. He could just barely reach them now but as a child, they had been too high.

Everything was built too large for him here. The chairs, the beds, even the utensils. Although that could be fun. Roxas still enjoyed hefting the oversized mugs and drinking more than his share of small beer. He smiled as he stood on his tiptoes, fishing out those same mugs from the cupboard and putting them on the table. His mother would be pleased to see he –

_RAP._ The loud sound of someone knocking on their door surprised him and Roxas frowned, going to open it. All the family quarters were buried deep in the stone but the door was good wood, set in a wooden frame.

"Axel!" Roxas smiled in pleasure as he beheld the fur clad giant in front of him. Axel was actually a bit slight for one of the Glisterheim, but he had the full measure of height and towered over his smaller friend.

"Roxas!" Axel's arms were around him and Roxas got a good whiff of his lunch as his face ended up pressed against the redhead's chest. Sausage and cabbage soup… it actually smelled pretty appetizing. It had been a long time since lunch.

"Let go of me you snail!" Roxas squirmed until Axel let go and smiled as looked up into the redhead's face. Axel was smiling, his eyes bright with energy and mischief. Roxas shoved his chest with a mixture of fondness and exasperation. "Are you trying to smother me again?"

"Ah, you're a tough little nut, you can take it!" Axel ruffled his hair playfully and Roxas shoved him again before letting him inside the home. The redhead glanced around. "Are your mother and father –"

"I am here." Arnfasta's voice cut him short as she stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a cast iron pot full of stew. His mother was a touch shorter than Axel but still well above Roxas' height. Her hair was a dark auburn and tied back in the braid of a married woman, strung with yellow cords and her eyes were a soft grey. "Have you come to beg a meal again?" She smiled to show it was only a jest, although in the past it might not have been. Axel's family had fallen on hard times several seasons ago and as a cousin, he'd claimed hearth right several times. Roxas' family hadn't particularly minded. Axel might not bear the Iswulf name but he was a very good boy and a loyal friend to their son. Axel smiled and shook his head.

"No, nana, although I thank you for your hospitality. I was just wondering if Roxas could come with me ice fishing." A small frown crossed Arnfasta's face and Axel continued hurriedly. "I checked with the shaman and he said the ice is thick and firm."

"I was worried more about ice wolves." Arnfasta said and Axel frowned as Roxas felt a touch offended. That was what they had axes for. "But that's what you have axes for." She said and Roxas blinked at the mimicking of his thoughts. "We'll have to ask Dagstyrr, but I don't see why not. Some fresh fish would be welcome." She gave Roxas a benign smile as she set out the food.

"Thanks nana." Roxas said. Then he reflected ruefully that Axel hadn't actually asked if he wanted to go, but then, he didn't really need to. Roxas loved getting out of the town and into the wilderness, even in the depths of winter. Ice fishing was a perfect excuse for a day outside. Axel grinned briefly.

"I'll be back in the morning then. Tomorrow Roxy." Axel ruffled his hair one last time and Roxas battled his hand away with mostly feigned irritation. Axel was just too cheerful to really stay mad at. Then he settled in at the table to wait for his father.

He didn't have long to wait. Dagstyrr knew that if he wasn't there within half a candlemark of the supper time, Arnfasta and Roxas would eat and leave him with cold stew and no company. His mother had certain rules, and suppertime was one of them. Roxas looked up as his father opened the door, walking in.

His father was a tall man even for a Glisterheim. As a child, Roxas had thought of him as a giant. At first he'd been frightened of him but even as a child he'd sensed that he needed to stand up for himself. So he had, and had gradually come to know Dagstyrr as a gentle giant. His father always had time to speak to him, give him a bit of candy and show him the best way to spit an enemies head with an axe. When he'd first been taken to the Cleft, Dagstyrr's hair had been a bright coppery color and almost as spiky as Axel's. By now it had dulled and was liberally sprinkled with grey hairs but his green eyes were still bright and his body was strong. At this moment, though, he looked tired.

"A hard day, love?" His mother asked as his father took a chair and slumped into it. She began spooning out the food as Dagstyrr cut the bread and began to butter it. They didn't stint on Roxas' rations, something he was thankful for. Parents always decided how much their children had to eat and his were generous even in the worst of times, far more likely to short themselves than their son. Axel's parents weren't nearly as open handed. Dagstyrr sighed as he began digging into the stew.

"Had to discipline some of the slaves in Shaft Three. Also had to give the foreman a bit of discipline for working a man that was injured." He said. Roxas listened politely although he knew he would never handle the mines like his father. His family owned the rights to Shaft Three and Four. It made them a very decent living and Dagstyrr could have left the whole thing up to the foreman, but he preferred to oversee things personally. Most of the miner slaves were plainspeople, though, and they would not respect Roxas like they did his father. They would probably think he was some kind of traitor. It just wasn't worth the effort to correct them. "And the tunneling for the new shaft is going slowly…" Roxas began to eat his stew as his father talked. It was salted pork with dried vegetables. Not his favorite but more edible and the dark bread helped with the saltiness. "How's your day been, lad?" Dagstyrr asked and Roxas looked up from his meal with a smile.

"Good father. I hit the bullseye twice today." Roxas said and his father smiled, pleased. Roxas was a bloodied warrior already, although he was barely fifteen. His first real battle had been a year ago and he was certain at least two men with his bow. There might have been more but he wasn't certain. "And Gegnir says I'm a master of the sword." That was high praise from the weapons instructor, but Roxas was very talented. Axel was almost as talented and they often sparred together, although his best friend insisted on using a pair of outlandish weapons his family had taken as a trophy. No one was quite sure where they had come from but Axel had made up a fighting style to use them. It seemed to work.

"Good. We're at peace at the moment, but I doubt it will last." His father said reflectively. "The Court of Unr is a cesspit. Has been since the old King got ill, and it won't get better in a hurry. The corn people will think us weak, and they might be right." His mother grimaced, looking down at her food and Roxas knew why. The taxes the Court of Unr levied against them went up in times of war, and her menfolk might be called away to reinforce the King's guard. Even if they weren't, the taxes would be hard to bear. Axel had claimed hearth right during just such a time. "Speaking of the corn people, there is talk that they might send a caravan in come spring." His father said, changing the subject slightly. His mother looked up sharply.

"Really? That's good news." She said and Roxas frowned uneasily. He wasn't sure he wanted to meet his free kin. He didn't know anything about them although he could speak their tongue. But then, all the Glisterheim could. There were too many slaves not to. "We could use more textiles. The shipments from Sandarr haven't been what they should."

"Yes. We have quite a stockpile of copper. Hopefully the corn people trade well." Dagstyrr said. It was a little strange how the Glisterheim talked so readily about trading with their ancestral enemies, but Roxas knew why it was so. For all the clashes between them and the taking of slaves on both sides, the corn people were respected as dangerous warriors. The Glisterheim despised nothing more than weaklings. "Better yet, we've got a good stock of turquoise. It was found in Shaft Three." His father was pleased with that and justly so. If the corn people did come, Roxas thought he would be getting a new set of clothes come summer.

After supper they went to bed. Roxas sighed as he changed into his nightshift then curled up on his straw pallet. The great bearskin his father had given him as a child was still warm and comfortable, although it didn't cover him nearly as well anymore. But they'd long since added several sheep pelts and he was quite comfortable and warm. Closing his eyes, Roxas slipped into dreams of ice and snow and glistening fish and the laughter of his reckless cousin.

Ice fishing was one of his favorite things.

* * *

"I love skiing." Axel said in delight as they traveled easily over the forest floor. Roxas just saved his breath. The redhead's stride was twice his, and even though Axel was the one carrying most of the equipment he was still struggling to keep up. "Wheee!" Axel took a long, flying stride and Roxas halted as he watched the redhead go five times as far as he could at the best of times.

"Can you bloody well slow down?" Axel stopped and looked back guiltily as Roxas adjusted the strap across his chest. The empty fish box was easy to carry but he was feeling very hot under his furs. "You're long legged even for a Glisterheim!" That was nothing but the truth. Axel's great height was mostly in his legs, unlike the stockier men that made up the majority of the Glisterheim.

"Sorry. I was just having fun." Axel waited until Roxas had caught up then continued at a much slower pace. "Isn't it pretty out?" He waved at the great evergreen trees and Roxas nodded.

"It's lovely." And it really was. The pale sun was bright overhead and the sky was a beautiful blue, interrupted only by the soft white streaks of the high clouds. It was wickedly cold, of course, but there was no wind at all and not even the slightest sign of snow. A perfect day for an outing. Roxas smiled as he listened to the chickadee's calling. The little birds survived quite well even in the depths of winter thanks to the bugs and the pine nuts.

The beautiful day only got better when they finally reached Crescent Lake. It was shaped like its name, vaguely resembling a crescent moon. The ice fishing shack was sitting on the banks and the first thing Axel and Roxas had to do was lug one out into a good spot. But they were light, only meant to break the wind and provide a bit of shelter so it was easy enough. Roxas noticed several other shacks already on the ice and wondered if they were in use. He wasn't going to check to see, though. They all bore the markings of other families. This one bore the crest of Iswulf, a snarling wolf's head.

"Okay, let's get started." Axel began to auger out the hole as Roxas helped him with a pickaxe. The redhead did the hard work but that was fine. They both knew that Axel was the stronger of the two. "Hey, get the leather on your wrist!" Roxas looked down, started, and realized Axel was right. He'd forgotten to loop the strap around his wrist and if they broke the ice unexpectedly his pick might take a one way trip to the bottom of the lake.

"Sorry." Roxas hurriedly corrected the problem. The pick was copper and had been made by the town's smiths but his parents would still dislike replacing it. It took a bit of time and hard labor but they finally had the hole open. Roxas took a seat on his stool, curling his feet under the bottom rungs as he baited his hook. Like everything, the stool was too tall for him, but that was fine. It was as comfortable as any stool could be.

"I can't believe Sigfrida didn't take your suit seriously." Axel said and Roxas sighed to himself. Trust his friend to bring that up. "She practically sneered at you. It was an insult."

"Axel, don't look at it that way." When Axel said things like that it made Roxas very nervous. The redhead had a direct way of responding to insults. "I was only going to make my suit because mother and father insisted." Sigfrida was the only child of her parents. Fortunately, her family was large so there were plenty of cousins and even more distant relatives to carry on the family honor. Whatever man won her hand would have her parents entire fortune as a dowry so the competition was fierce. "I'm glad she didn't take me seriously enough to set me a task. She has Einarr off picking carrion flowers." Axel made a face at that. Neither of them liked Einarr too much… he was rude and a bit of a bully… but they both pitied him the trip to the crypts in the North end of the valley that would entail. "Why didn't you press your suit?" Roxas asked in return and Axel snorted.

"A penniless younger son? That will be the day. You might be short but you're at least the heir to something." Axel's tone was dour and Roxas winced, reaching out to touch his arm. Axel's chances of eventually finding a mate were better than his… there were plenty of penniless girls who admired a good warrior who could put food on the table… but his chances at Sigfrida were about as good as Roxas'.

"Sorry." Was all he said and Axel looked up from the hole, managing a smile.

"It's nothing. You've got a point about the carrion flowers though. I hope Einarr comes back alive. I don't like him but I don't hate him either." Axel said and Roxas nodded. The crypts could have all kinds of nasty things, ranging from skeletons to wraiths. Once there had even been a banshee but they had cleared that out years ago. "Do you know what she asked the others to do?" If Sigfrida had set a task for one suitor she would definitely have given the others challenges to prove their determination and skill. Roxas nodded.

"Yes, she's got Vali out trying to slay a snow bear…." Roxas related all the tasks he'd heard of before Axel snorted out a laugh.

"I can see why you don't mind that she didn't take you seriously. Oh well, at least it will keep them all busy." It was pretty rare for a girl to inherit and Sigfrida was adhering to the letter of the law for selecting a mate… but most girls settled for just tallying the kills, accomplishments and properties of their suitors to pick one. "What a primma donna!" Axel had to say the words in the language of the corn people. The Northern tongue didn't really have words for the concept although they knew it well. Roxas laughed.

"She is that! To be honest, I don't even like her that much." Roxas was sure Sigfrida knew it too. That was no doubt part of why she'd dismissed him so quickly. Axel thought about it a moment.

"She has good tits. Shame about the face." Was his opinion and Roxas choked at the bluntness before slapping him on the shoulder. "What? She has buck teeth. You know she does."

"Your teeth are no great shakes either." Roxas said, exasperated. Axel looked hurt before suddenly blinking.

"Roxas, your line!" Roxas looked at the bobbing pole and cursed, grabbing for it. He began carefully reeling it in and smiled as he saw the great black fish at the end of it. A quick blow from the ice pick dispatched it and Roxas took out a small tool, using it to open the catfish's jaws and remove his hook. "Those are good eating." Axel said approvingly and Roxas nodded as he set the fish into the carrying box, packing it with snow to keep it fresh.

"Catfish stew would be wonderful." Roxas thought of it longingly. There was plenty of dried beets and his mother liked to put them into fish stews. It was one of his favorite foods. Axel nodded, looking at his line.

"I'm hoping for perch." He said optimistically and Roxas smiled to himself. That was the most common fish in the lake so he was likely to get it. "That's my favorite. Well, we'll just have to see." Axel thoughtfully jingled his line, hoping to lure the fish in. Roxas smiled as he watched his friend looking at the hole hopefully. Nothing was going to happen so soon after he'd caught a fish but Axel wasn't the best at figuring out things like that.

He was still the best friend in the world and Roxas wouldn't have traded the redhead for anything. He carefully suppressed his other thought… that there was more than one reason why he was glad Sigfrida had dismissed his suit and one of the reasons was sitting right beside him. He wasn't sure how Axel would react to that revelation and really didn't want to know. Men could lie with men, but it wasn't an honorable thing among the Glisterheim. For a moment Roxas wondered what the people of the plains thought of it, but there was no way to know. It didn't matter anyway. The idea would never occur to Axel at all.

And that was a shame.


	2. The Caravan

Winter passed slowly, as was always its' wont. Tempers began to fray and there were several bad fights before it was over. Roxas and Axel were involved in one spat with a disappointed Einarr and Vali. Neither of them had won Sigfrida's favor and as her wedding approached their tempers worsened. But afterwards, Axel smoothed things over as he always did and they ended up drinking together in the long hall. Einarr even apologized, as much as he could without losing honor.

When spring began to eat away the curtain of snow it came as a relief to everyone. Roxas smiled as he watched Einarr chasing Axel, who had nabbed his favorite crossbow before he could get it. The redhead cheerfully tossed it to him when the older boy suggested he do something lewd with it. Einarr was just checking the weapon when he looked up with a frown.

"What's that?" Roxas frowned and followed his gaze. From where they were standing, outside the fortifications, they had a good view down the valley. He felt a thrill as he saw dozens of carts slowly winding their way up the path. "Corn people! Are they – no, that's a caravan." Einarr said in brief confusion, scratching his close cropped dark brown hair. Roxas shook his head. Einarr was a good warrior but not the sharpest knife in the box.

"We should all go back. They're going to be yelling for us to any minute." Sure enough. Just as Roxas completed the words he heard Gegnir bellowing at the children. Roxas grabbed Axel's hand and dragged the protesting redhead back to shelter.

"But I want to see!" Axel stopped fighting, though, as he saw Gegnir eying him. The arms trainer would certainly give a disobeying child a good cuffing and in his eyes, they were all children. Even the ones who only had a year or two left until they were sworn adults, like Axel and Roxas. "Fine. But it's not like they could possibly be raiding…" Axel kept muttering to himself as they retreated past the first fortifications. A group of their elders was assembling. When they left the safety of the fortifications the door shut firmly behind them and was banded with iron. If this group of corn people meant ill the delegation of elders would certainly not survive.

It wasn't at all likely though. Axel scampered up the steps to the top of the wall and Roxas followed, mentally cursing his friends' long stride and the steps that had been built too big. He was out of breath when he reached the top and took his place beside Axel, watching the caravan of plainspeople arrive at the gates.

"Hmph, they couldn't possibly attack us. Paranoid." Was Axel's opinion and Roxas nodded. The caravan was well guarded but clearly not a threat to the Cleft. Still.

"It's always wise to be cautious Axel." Roxas said absently as he watched the elders speak to the corn people. After short negotiations they waved at the gates and the sentries unbarred them, ponderously swinging them open. The caravan filed inside. There was plenty of room. The courtyard was large, meant to accommodate great celebrations as well as all the livestock of the town, when they couldn't graze. A lot of that was being hurriedly gathered but the corn people would probably still be dealing with a few errant pigs.

"There's being cautious and being stupid. But come on, let's go see!" Axel headed back down the stairs with abandon and Roxas followed more carefully. He'd seen a boy trip and fall on those stairs once and never wanted to see it again. There had been blood all over the place.

Soon they were down among the caravan, watching as the corn people began taking out their wares and dickering with the Glisterheim. They seemed friendly enough and Roxas felt an odd ache in his chest as he watched them. They were mostly blonde, although there was a smattering of darker hues and even one man with hair like silver. They really did look a lot like him and Roxas could see that he was a little short even for the plainspeople. Then he felt Axel's hand on his shoulder and looked up to meet concerned green eyes. Roxas smiled as he felt the ache ease. Yes, he might have been happier growing up among his own kind but then he wouldn't have had Axel.

"Look, they have daggers over there." Roxas pointed at one particular stall being set up and Axel's head turned to look. "They look good too, want to go see?"

"Do I!" They moved over to watch the booth being set up and get a good look at the daggers and other weapons being set out. Some of the women of the fortress were already coming out to dicker over the beautiful textiles on display. The important negotiations, though, were taking place among the men. Roxas spotted his father and several others in deep conversation with a rich looking blonde haired man. No doubt that was the caravan master and he was in the middle of purchasing the copper they had ready. Roxas ignored it and focused on the weapons as Axel ooh'd and aah'd over a dagger set with a cabochon garnet in the hilt. The only one that really caught his eye was a beautiful sword. The hilt was bound with black leather and looked deceptively simple but something about it screamed quality to him.

"May I?" He asked the trader running the booth. He looked at the blonde dubiously for a moment before nodding. Roxas carefully lifted the sword, reveling in the balance and weight of the blade. "This is beautiful. Who made it?" He asked in the corn people's tongue. The trader glanced at the blade before he answered.

"Kaevin of Dunstown. He's a fine crafter. It's not cheap." He added warningly. Roxas nodded, carefully putting back the weapon as Axel tore himself away from the dagger.

"I'll ask my father later." Roxas murmured and the trader shot him a sharp look. He seemed on the verge of saying something but stopped as Roxas turned away. "Let's go see the rest Axel." He doubted anything would be as intriguing as the sword but they could certainly look.

"Oh sure." Axel glanced back once at the knife and Roxas felt bad for him. There was no way his family could afford a new dagger. Well, no way they would spend it on him at least. He was the third son and his parents favored the eldest. "Hey, look at the hats!" Axel seemed delighted by the little felt caps and Roxas laughed as he watched the redhead try one on. "I really might get one of these. Bet I could afford it and they're in fashion with the King's Court, you know."

"Are they?" Roxas looked at the cap dubiously. He thought it made Axel look ridiculous. "They have weird fashions." That did explain why the plainspeople had brought them though. They probably knew all about the things that sold well to the Glisterheim. And the women were already coming over, attracted by the bright colors and dyed feathers. "I think you should leave it to the girls." Roxas said and Axel grinned before taking the hat and putting it on his head. "Hey!" Roxas pushed up the hat, scowling at the redhead.

"But Roxas, it looks so lovely on your golden curls!" Axel said with mock amazement and laughingly dodged a punch from his friend.

"You boys ruin that, you pay for it." The trader, a fat older woman with slate grey hair, said irritably. Roxas quickly pulled off the bright green cap and put it back into the stall. He didn't want to pay for something that idiotic.

They circulated all through the little encampment, looking at everything from scarves to beads to herbs and spices. Then someone tapped Axel on the shoulder and he looked, startled, into Gegnir's face. The arms trainer was an older man with bright red hair sprinkled with white, and he had a very fine beard. Beards were rare among the Glisterheim as few of their men had facial hair.

"You lads want to earn a few coppers?" He asked gruffly. Axel and Roxas exchanged a glance. That was a loaded question, since they would likely have to earn the coin with hard labor. On the other hand, they were not allergic to work. Axel nodded and Roxas followed suit. "Good. We've purchased all the grain and cornmeal they've got. All the house slaves we can spare are loading it but we want to get the whole lot out of the courtyard and into storage by nightfall."

"Ah. Right. Where?" Roxas asked and Gegnir pointed to the far end of the caravan, closest to the hall. "We'll get right on it."

"Good lads." Gegnir slapped them both companionably on the back before going to look for his next victim. Roxas smiled to himself as he picked up a big bag of grain and began carrying it into the fortress. Supplies like this were bought in common and doled out all through the winter at set prices and amounts, to prevent any starvation. From the looks of how much they had gotten this would be a good year.

"Want some help with that shorty?" Roxas looked up with a scowl at a grinning Einarr. "What? It's nearly as big as you!"

"Ants lift ten times their weight. I'll be fine." Roxas wasn't sure where he'd heard that but he'd certainly observed the tiny ants hauling around crumbs during a picnic with Axel. Einarr laughed.

"Then you can take two!" Roxas grunted as the taller boy dumped a second bag onto him, his knees almost buckling. Then strong hands were there, lifting away the burden.

"Stop being an ass and get to work before Gegnir sees you horsing around." Axel said as he hefted the second bag. Roxas could only envy him his strength. He made it look effortless. Einarr looked around warily and desisted from teasing Roxas. Gegnir was notorious for being able to spot a slacker at twenty yards off. From behind a wall.

The unloading took most of the evening but Gegnir's praise for their hard work was warming. Even moreso was the two coppers he handed out to every free boy who had helped. It was enough for a few treats and Roxas resolved to use his to get himself and Axel a bit of clotted cream. The redhead loved the thick, buttery cream and there was always someone making a bit in the summer.

"I think I'm getting a blister." Axel muttered, rubbing his palm with his thumb. Roxas smiled at him, slapping the redhead on the back.

"First time you've done honest work in months. Hey, would you like to come over for supper? Nana's making some lutefish." Roxas didn't particularly care for cod soaked in lye, but it was one of Axel's favorite meals. Sure enough, the redhead's green eyes lit up at the thought.

"Could I? They won't mind?" He asked diffidently and Roxas shook his head with a smile. His parents would never say it but he knew they were glad that their son had such a strong and loyal friend. "Then I would love to. Let me go tell my Nana that I won't be home." Axel darted off to find his parents. Roxas wasn't worried about them consenting. They much preferred to have their son eating elsewhere. Axel came back soon, beaming. "She said its fine. Let's go!"

"Right." It was about time for dinner anyway. Roxas was vaguely aware of the corn people giving him curious looks as they left the courtyard, but their curiosity would have to remain unsatisfied. He would not trouble his mother and father by explaining his adoption to strangers. It really wasn't any of their business. Arnfasta was just beginning to serve the food to their father when Roxas and Axel trooped in. She smiled, grey eyes twinkling with pleasure as she saw the redhead.

"Axel! You've come for lutefish? Be welcome, there's plenty." She said cheerfully and Roxas noticed that Dagstyrr was just as happy, with the contented look of a man who had made a very good deal.

"It went well father?" Roxas asked as Axel got a big slice of the lutefish and some fresh baby carrots from the gardens. His father nodded, taking a large bite of his fish.

"Very well indeed. The corn people wanted our copper badly. Apparently there's a shortage of it down in the plains." Dagstyrr seemed very pleased but Roxas couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

"Not too good a bargain, I hope?" He ventured and his father laughed.

"Teach your grandmother to suck eggs, child. I sweetened the bargain with that bit of turquoise." Roxas felt himself relax at that. There was a very important difference between a good bargain and gouging. A good bargain could be spoken of with respect afterwards, but gouging would lead to the other party calling you a cheat and meaning it. That was a reputation they didn't need. "They're happy, we're happy, everyone is happy."

"That's the way a bargain should be." Arnfasta said with a smile. "Axel, child, do you want more?" Roxas winced then laughed as he saw that the redhead had almost finished his fish. Roxas was still working on his. Axel gave her a guilty grin.

"Could I Nana?" He asked and she laughed again, giving him some more fish. Roxas was sure she'd been meaning to save it for breakfast tomorrow, but they could always have some pottage. Roxas himself was quite glad Axel was eating all the lutefish. He really didn't fancy it for breakfast.

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly as their mother mentioned the fabrics she was thinking of buying and his father went into rhapsodies about the foodstuffs they had acquired. Roxas soon knew he was right, this year would be very easy on the larder. And they were both hopeful that before the summer was out there would be a shipment of steel from Sandarr. That was one thing the plainspeople would not trade them, except in finished products like the swords and daggers on display. And no corn people made male shirts in the proper sizes for the Glisterheim.

"Why won't the corn people trade us raw steel, father?" Roxas asked curiously. He'd never really thought about that before, but then, traders from the plains were rare. Dagstyrr laughed heartily.

"Why would they wish to arm their enemies?" He asked and Roxas blinked. "The occasional sword or dagger is nothing, but they won't trade us the amount of metal we need for good mail shirts and shields."

"Ah." That did make sense. Although Roxas himself was a devotee of the art of two handed fighting, preferring to use two swords. It was a very hard skill to master but he had been blessed with the ability to use both hands. "We trade them copper because it can't be made into weapons?" That made a great deal of sense to him and his father nodded.

"It can be made into armor and weapons, but they'll not stand up against steel. No one uses bronze that way anymore, although we use it for everything else. Plows, picks, kettles, almost anything can be made of bronze." Roxas nodded. Most of the tools they used in the mine were bronze and copper was a main component of the alloy.

Supper was soon over and Roxas bid Axel goodnight, getting a warm hug before the redhead left. Roxas watched him go and thought hard. Maybe…

"Father?" Roxas turned to Dagstyrr, who was looking over a few ledgers. "I – I know it's an imposition, but Axel's naming day is in only a month away. Could I get him something special?" Axel was almost an adult but not quite. Really, he should save the most special gift for his step into adulthood but the caravan was here now. Who knew if they would be here next year? Dagstyrr looked up from his accounts with a frown.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked. Roxas swallowed before speaking.

"There was a dagger. He really wanted it father, it wasn't just the usual silliness. And that boot dagger of his is cheap bronze." Axel had a dirk, pretty much everyone did, but his was an old hand me down from his elder brother. "I know it would be expensive but I have seven coppers." That was all he'd managed to save from random chores. But a dagger would be so much better than clotted cream. His father glanced down at the tallies then smiled slowly.

"I think we could manage it. He's a good and loyal friend, your Axel. The kind of friend who deserves a good naming day gift." There was a melancholy note to his father's voice and Roxas suddenly wondered if he'd had a similar friend, a long time ago. If so that friend must have died or left the Cleft. His father was friendly with everyone but not close to anyone but Arnfasta. "Speaking of cheap bronze, I noticed a good sword that might suit you." Roxas' eyes widened and Dagstyrr chuckled at the shock on his face. "Yes, I saw you drooling over it. That second blade you use isn't much better than Axel's dirk. I think it deserves to be replaced, don't you?"

"Thank you papa!" Roxas impulsively hugged his father, warmth flowering in his chest. Had any other boy been blessed with parents this good? His father hugged him back, patting him on the back until Roxas let go, blushing. "I would love that. It's a beautiful sword."

"It is indeed. But I'll go dicker for it. If you and Axel were there the price would double." Dagstyrr said with a chuckle and Roxas nodded with a rueful smile. He knew his father was right. He and Axel could never contain their enthusiasm in front of the weapons dealer.

That night Roxas dreamed of Axel's reaction when he got the dagger on his naming day. The dreams ranged from the realistic to the utterly absurd. Axel wasn't going to give him a kiss, even for a dagger!

Although his imagination certainly liked to think so.


	3. Naming Day

"I'm going to steal your sword." Roxas looked up from where he was sharpening his new blade as a shadow fell over him. It was something large and annoying.

"I'm going to gut you if you so much as lay a finger on it." Roxas replied instantly, making Einarr grin and hold up his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright! You're such a feisty little thing. Hey, let's spar." Roxas nodded and put away his whetstone, pulling out his other sword as well. It had a hilt bound with white leather and he liked the oddly matching blades. When he carried them for serious practice, he wore them both slung over his back, the hilts tilted so they could both be pulled free easily. Einarr took his practice blade, a large bastard sword, and they began to spar.

"Hng!" Roxas grunted as he slid Einarr's sword off his blade. He knew better than to parry directly, the weight and strength of the other boy would break his defenses in no time. He had to be nimble and smart. They danced back and forth across the practice yard and Roxas' felt his world narrowing to nothing but that boy in front of him. That was dangerous and he tried to widen his perceptions. You never knew when – "Hyah!" He had to duck into a ball as one of Axel's wheels passed overhead. Then Einarr was suddenly on his heels as the redhead attacked him as well.

"Hey! Who did Gegnir tell you to help?" The brunette protested as Axel drove him back and the redhead laughed.

"Neither of you! I'm a random lunatic!" Axel said merrily and Roxas jumped to his feet, his eyes narrowing. That was the plan was it? Well, they would see about that.

"Temporary truce while we kill him!" He called to Einarr. The older boy laughed and nodded as he regained his balance. Axel darted a quick look at Roxas, unsure if he was serious and saw the blow heading for his back.

"Pig shit!" Axel dodged frantically but there was no way he could last against the two of them. He did hold them off for an impressive time before they pinned him against a wall and 'killed' him. Then Roxas had to dodge as Einarr immediately renewed their earlier conflict. In the end, Roxas won, although it was a very near thing. They were both panting and grinning when it was over and they exchanged a friendly handclasp before Roxas went to collect a pouting, bruised Axel. "That was so unfair."

"Probably what would have happened in a real fight." Roxas said absently as he helped the redhead to his feet. "Is it just me or is Einarr getting nicer with age?" Maybe it was normal. Einarr's last day of official childhood was nearing and he seemed to be putting on the mantle of adulthood well. He still teased Roxas but it had a good natured feel that had been lacking before.

"Better than Vali." Was Axel's opinion and Roxas nodded with a small grimace. Vali had been almost as close to Einarr as he and Axel were, but they'd had a falling out recently and it was making Vali behave like a brat. Roxas hoped whatever was wrong between them got ironed out soon, but didn't have high hopes. Einarr didn't even seem to miss his old henchman. Somehow, that made Roxas feel vaguely sad. Could he and Axel ever grow apart that way? "So hey. Want to come swimming with me tomorrow? It's my naming day you know!" Axel said brightly and Roxas frowned at him.

"I know. Won't your parents want you home?" He said slowly, knowing he might be treading on sensitive ground. This was Axel's sixteenth naming day. That wasn't a particularly auspicious number so it was due only a modest celebration, but normally a family would want their son home for his naming day. A shadow passed over Axel's face then vanished so quickly Roxas almost thought he'd imagined it.

"They won't mind. My brother got home yesterday you know." Axel said lightly and Roxas concealed a wince. The favoritism was so blatant there that everyone could see it and he knew it hurt Axel deeply. His sisters got it bad too, from what little the redhead had let drop. "Would you like to?" He asked again and Roxas smiled.

"I would love to – huh?" Roxas looked up with a blink as he felt another presence. It was Einarr, his hair wet from a quick dunking in a bucket of water. The older boy tended to get hot easily and liked to do that after practice.

"Did I hear you two mention swimming?" Roxas nodded, feeling a bit taken aback. He really wanted to spend time alone with Axel. On the other hand, the redhead was very social and if Einarr was making an effort than maybe – "My da made a raft last year. If you don't mind hauling it back down to the lake we could use it for diving."

"Could we!" Axel was suddenly enthusiastic and Roxas had to smile. Rafting in the middle of the lake would be a wonderful way to spend the day. They could swim in the cold waters until they'd had enough then lie in the sun to warm. "That would be great! Will your da let you come?" Einarr was almost a man and was doing more work than the two of them. But he shrugged, unconcerned.

"Oh, I bet he will when I tell him it's your naming day. He's been telling me to get out more anyway." Einarr said and Roxas wondered if Einarr's father was worried about his falling out with Vali and wanted his son to make more friends. But that wasn't really his business. Axel grinned and slapped Einarr on the back, making the older boy wince faintly. Roxas could sympathize. Axel didn't know his strength sometimes.

"Then come and be welcome! We'll meet you in the courtyard after breakfast if that's good?" Soon the whole thing was arranged and Einarr went to talk to his parents about the plan. Axel stretched, making his back pop. "You're right Roxas, he's turning into a decent human being. Who'd have thought it?" Axel sighed and leaned against the wall, watching some of the slaves tending to the goats. "They gave me my gifts already you know." Roxas blinked at him and Axel elaborated. "My parents."

"Already?" Roxas bit his lip. That was unkind. Celebrating a naming day early or late was supposed to be for special reasons, like someone having to leave or a baby coming at an inauspicious time. "What did they give you?" Roxas hoped it was something good and Axel suddenly flashed him a grin.

"New swim shorts!" Roxas blinked then laughed. That was a cheap gift but rather funny, considering what they were doing tomorrow. "Now I'll get to break them in. All the maidens will be staring at my godlike physique!" Axel posed and Roxas grinned before suddenly tickling him. "Ow hey!" Axel tried to fend him off as Roxas found his most vulnerable spots.

"Godlike? Only if the God is Auta!" Roxas taunted as Axel looked hurt. That was the god who guarded the gateway between life and death and he was always pictured as a skeletal figure in black robes. "Come on, let's go see if they need any help in the stables." Roxas was getting an itchy feeling between his shoulder blades that seemed to spell 'danger – adult is noticing you have nothing to do.' If he had a choice in the matter he'd rather work with the horses than the goats. They weren't nearly as nasty.

"Shovelling dung probably. Ah, alright." They had been practicing all morning and Axel was tired of it too. Soon the stable master had them both tossing bales of hay up into the loft. "This isn't so bad." Axel said approvingly and Roxas grinned.

"See? If you volunteer you get the good spots." Vali and a few of the other boys had been rounded up after them and they were busy cleaning out the stalls. All the horses were out in the pasture and everything would be spotless before they were rounded up for the night. It was too dangerous to leave them out in the pastures at night. The ice wolves and cougars prowled more then and it was much harder for the Glisterheim to keep the herd safe, and there was a good crop of foals. They didn't want to lose any. "I've heard the corn people can all read." Axel said conversationally and Roxas paused, glancing at him.

"Really?" He and the redhead couldn't read a word. Among the Glisterheim that was a skill reserved for priests and nobility and they were neither. Axel nodded, tossing up another bale.

"I saw one of the traders writing something and asked him about it." Roxas winced faintly, guiltily aware that he hadn't made the most of the opportunity to learn about his birth people. But if he'd asked them questions they would have returned the favor and he loved his parents. He didn't want to distress them. Axel seemed to understand and continued speaking as they worked. "He said the peasants mostly don't read and write, but most of the townsfolk do. So if we were corn people we probably would."

"I wonder what good it does them? Although math is always handy." Roxas commented. He and Axel both knew their sums and Roxas could do tallies to keep track of the mining production. Axel shrugged.

"I don't know, but Ravana would approve." That was the goddess of wisdom. The Glisterheim worshipped a pantheon of gods. So did the plainspeople although the emphasis was on different gods. Roxas vaguely remembered someone telling him they were called corn people not just for their hair but because they reverenced Hetanya, the Goddess of nature and fertility. She was pictured with a crown of corn. "Roxas? We're done here. C'mon, let's go before they tell us to get a shovel." Roxas came to himself as the redhead gave him a shove.

"Oh right!" They left the stables quickly. With duty fulfilled there wasn't much to do, so they decided to take a trip to the long hall. The elderly menfolk and everyone with a rest day gathered there to listen to song and tell stories that were mostly lies over mugs of beer. Roxas and Axel got small beer on Roxas' family account. Unlike real beer, small beer was very cheap and only alcoholic enough to ensure water safety. They both took a seat in the corner and listened to the Skald tell a tale of heroism and treachery about the Court of Unr. It was full of double and triple dealings and the betrayal of trusted friends. "That kind of story makes me glad I'm not a noble." Roxas said firmly and Axel gave him a puzzled look. "If I were the character in that story you'd be stabbing me in the back."

"Ouch!" Axel laughed. "No, no, I'd be that poor bastard who died when his friend couldn't ransom him from his kidnappers!" He poked Roxas in the shoulder. "You'd pay to have me back wouldn't you?"

"Oh sure. Two coppers and a dead fish." Roxas said deadpan and Axel threatened him with the mug of small beer. "Hey, watch it! I had a bath just yesterday."

"You're going to be swimming tomorrow." Axel commented but stopped in his playing to take a deep drink of his beer. One of the barmaids stopped by their table, eyeing them critically.

"You lads going to be getting supper?" Axel and Roxas both shook their heads. The long hall made stew for the bachelor men, mostly, but it cost a bit and wasn't a patch on home cooking. "Then get you gone. We'll have hungry men in here soon." Roxas quaffed his beer and set down the empty mug. Axel quickly followed suit. The barmaid gathered the mugs as they left the hall.

"Want to come over for supper?" Roxas asked but Axel shook his head.

"Can't. Nana said she wanted me home to show respect for my brother." Roxas winced and reached up to gently squeeze his shoulder. Axel smiled at him for a moment, his green eyes a little sad. "We'll be swimming tomorrow soon enough."

"Right." They went their separate ways and Roxas smiled to himself as he thought about the naming day gift he'd gotten for Axel.

The redhead was going to love it.

* * *

The next day dawned clear and cool but rapidly heated up as the day progressed. However, Cresent Lake was fed by glaciers and always stayed cool even in the height of summer. Which was just fine by the boys currently playing in the water.

"Best raft ever." Axel said approvingly as Einarr took another dive off it. Roxas could only agree. The raft was well constructed out of light timber and floated very well on the surface of the lake. "Time to swim!" Axel pushed himself to his feet and Roxas flushed lightly as the redhead hiked up his swim shorts. They were dark red and looked very good on him. Axel dove in just as Einarr pulled himself out and shook himself off. The water was too cold for more than quick dips.

"Einarr?" Roxas said lazily from where he was lying in the sun. He knew he'd probably be getting a sunburn from all this but that was fine. He tanned fairly well, unlike Axel. The redhead burned and peeled, burned and peeled all summer. Einarr looked up and Roxas noticed for almost the first time that his eyes were grey like Arnfasta's. "If it doesn't bother you, I was wondering. What happened with Vali?" Roxas asked. The older boy smiled thinly.

"It does bother me but it's a fair enough question." Then he chuckled dryly. "You're the first to ask besides my parents." Roxas knew exactly why that would be the case. The other children were a bit afraid of Einarr's temper. But he didn't seem too angry, thankfully. "If it were anyone else… but if you spread this around I'll make you both regret it, understand?" Einarr said and Roxas lifted his head with a frown just as Axel surged out of the water.

"Regret what?" Axel shook himself off and made Roxas yelp as he was carelessly splattered with water. "Ooops, sorry!"

"You're like a damn dog." Roxas said with a scowl before looking at Einarr. "We won't talk. What was it?" He was very curious now. Einarr looked away, over the water.

"Vali kissed me." He said plainly. Roxas blinked as Axel stared blankly. The blonde tried to wrap his mind around that image but just couldn't make it fit. He'd seen Vali and Einarr both flirting with the young girls together. Although… come to think of it, Einarr had been doing most of the flirting while Vali just hung around. Hmm. "Now, I don't really care what other men do in private places." Einarr said in the tone of someone trying very hard to be fair. "But I'm not into that. And if you breathe a word of this I'll say the same thing about the two of you."

"Hey!" Axel protested as Roxas choked. "That's dirty." Especially since everyone in the Cleft would likely believe it, Roxas reflected ruefully. He and Axel were a bit too close for some people's comfort. Einarr just gave Axel a hostile look and Roxas decided to intervene before a fight could break out.

"We won't say anything." Roxas said firmly and Einarr nodded, satisfied. The blonde pulled himself up and stretched before diving into the icy water. It closed around him like frozen silk, smooth and sweet. Soon all the boys were hungry and they tucked into the basket Einarr had brought with a will. Axel's good cheer was restored by the discovery that Einarr had packed a bit of clotted cream with berries and honey cakes.

"It's your naming day, after all." He said by way of explanation as he broke apart the honey cakes. "I asked mother if I could bring you a sweet for it, since I didn't have any other gift." Axel beamed as he ate his honey cake and Roxas had to smile. The redhead looked so happy with his treat.

"Thank you!" Axel said then blinked as Roxas tapped him on the shoulder. "Hm?" He gave the blonde a curious look as Roxas fished a parcel out of the small bag he'd brought with him.

"My gift for you. Happy naming day, Axel." Roxas offered him the package shyly and Axel took it, carefully unwrapping the waxed paper. Then he stopped, eyes going wide as he saw what was hidden within.

"Roxas!" Roxas squeaked as he was almost got squashed by Axel's huge hug. He ended up with his face pressed against the redhead's chest again, but this time there was no fur in the way. Roxas could smell him, the warm, masculine scent of his best friend – "This is the best gift ever!" Roxas felt a great relief as Axel let go of him and looked into the redhead's grinning face. "I can't believe you got it for me. It must have cost a fortune!"

"My parents helped." Roxas admitted. He couldn't possibly have afforded the dagger himself. "They like you a lot." Axel laughed warmly and pulled out the dagger, examining the steel appreciatively. Einarr peeked over his shoulder curiously and his eyes widened in admiration at the evident quality of the blade.

"I'm going to steal your dagger." Was his opinion and Axel clutched his new weapon protectively to his chest.

"No!" Roxas watched with a smile as his friends bickered playfully and ended up throwing apples at each other. The apples fell into the water and bobbed gently with the current until Roxas dove back in to retrieve them. He caught them easily, reveling in the feeling of the cold water and the hot sun.

It was a good naming day.


	4. The King's Men

"How are you two lads feeling this fine morning?" The Stable Master asked as Roxas and Axel helped shovel manure. The redhead looked up with a quizzical expression.

"Pretty good. Why?" For some reason that sent the Stable Master into laughter. He was a tall, stocky man with dark auburn hair going grey around the temples.

"Ah, to be young again. My poor old bones are still aching!" Axel looked confused but Roxas suddenly figured it out. They'd spent all the previous day filling in a sinkhole in the pasture. It had involved a lot of wheelbarrows of dirt and rock and everyone had pitched in. Apparently the Stable Master was still feeling the effects. "Well, we all have to get old." He walked away, pausing to check the progress another pair of boys were making. Axel shrugged and went back to his work. Roxas followed a moment later. There was always plenty of work to be done.

They both looked up, surprised, as they heard shouts and then horns blowing. Not horns within the walls though. No, this was from outside the Cleft and the horns had an odd tone. It took Roxas a moment to identify it as the sound of brass horns. The Cleft didn't have many, since the yeti horns worked just as well and snow yetis were plentiful. Too plentiful really. There was never a shortage of horns.

"You lads all keep working." The Stable Master commanded as several boys tried to leave their duties to see what was happening. There was plenty of grumbling as the Stable Master left to go see what was happening but no one dared disobey. Then the Stable Master was suddenly hurrying back. "How many of the stalls are – ah, good." He seemed very relieved as he did a quick count of the clean stalls. Roxas blinked as he saw an unfamiliar man behind him. He was wearing fine chain armor and holding the reins to a beautiful black horse. Roxas and Axel watched curiously as the Stable Master and several boys began finding spots for a good dozen horses.

"Oh hells. We'll have to leave the horses out in the pasture tonight or bring them into the courtyard." Axel muttered and Roxas bit back a groan. They didn't have many stalls to spare so some of the horses would be evicted from their usual nighttime quarters. Either they would have to set a guard on the pasture and hope for the best or move them into the courtyard. That would make a mess of the courtyard. Roxas vividly remembered picking up after the corn people's caravan had left. "Those are really good horses." Axel sounded admiring and Roxas turned his head then winced as a mare suddenly reared and struck out at one of the grooms. "Nasty though. C'mon, let's move." Roxas glanced at the Stable Master as Axel tugged him. The older man saw what they were doing and quickly waved his hand for them to get back.

"All of you lot get out for now. But come back when the horses are settled!" He said sharply and the boys quickly left off their work to let the grooms and other experienced horsemen get on with it. All the Glisterheim were trained to ride, of course, but some of them were better at it than others. Roxas and Axel could both ride well and fight on horseback but they were used to more sedate animals than these. The Glisterheim of the Cleft wanted their horses to carry them into combat but did not train them to kick or strike. Clearly whoever had trained these horses had different ideas.

"Oh wow!" Roxas almost ran into Axel as the redhead stopped dead. He had to peer past his friend to see what was happening and got quite a shock when he did.

"The King's banner?" Roxas was impressed. The King wasn't actually there of course – he was sick and never left the palace – but the banner flying over the group had two crossed swords. This was a higher functionary, probably a minor noble granted powers by the Court of Unr. "I wonder what they're doing here." He said to himself, suddenly uneasy. Why would anyone from the Court come to the Cleft? They paid their taxes on time and were essentially a tiny border town. Prosperous enough, thanks to the copper, but nothing special.

"Probably just doing a tour of all the towns to see how we're doing and if we're ready to withstand attack." Axel supplied cheerfully and Roxas nodded slowly. The redhead was probably right. A group of the prominent men of the town, his father included, were greeting the head of the delegation. Roxas and Axel both tried to get a good look at him but failed before the man was ushered into the Cleft. All they saw was a thick cloak of beautiful purple cloth, trimmed in fur. It fluttered in the wind and seemed very fine. Axel shook his head. "We can stop by the long hall and take a look at them later."

"Right. Come on, it sounds like they've gotten the horses put away." The commotion in the stables had died down and Roxas was sure the Stable Master would be yelling for them soon enough. Roxas was just entering the stables when someone gripped his shoulder.

"Put this away." An unfamiliar and preemptory voice ordered, shoving a saddle into his hands. The blonde grunted as the weight of it hit him but quickly adjusted. He caught a glimpse of a man in dark armor striding away and blinked.

"Did he think you were a slave?" Axel wondered as he grabbed part of the saddle, helping his friend. "He should be a little more polite." Roxas shook his head as they carried the saddle to a harassed looking groom. Things were disarranged with the sudden influx of new horses but he quickly found a spot to hang up the tack.

"You boys! You start cleaning off all that tack." Roxas sighed to himself as he heard the Stable Master's order and began cleaning off the saddles. They were quite smelly and he wondered how long those men had been riding.

"Hmph, polite. No one here is polite to us boys." He commented to Axel and the redhead laughed, finding stools for them to sit on as they worked. Roxas quickly located a bucket of water and the saddlesoap as well as the oil. They would need all of it to take care of this much tack.

"Yes, but they've known us since we were piddling our diapers! Or running around butt naked." Roxas winced and smacked his friend on the shoulder. At around four years old, he'd suddenly decided that clothing was optional. Arnfasta had chased him through the halls of the Cleft more than once. Roxas wondered if he'd ever live it down. "Strangers should be more polite than family." Axel added as he carefully cleaned the leather.

"Mmm, true. This stuff is filthy." Roxas grumbled as they began taking off the straps. It took quite a while and before too long the Stable Master sent them Einarr and another boy to help, but they finally had all of the tack cleaned and lightly oiled. Roxas sighed, shaking his hands out as they left the stable. "That was hard work." They were all used to working, of course, but handling that much tack all at once was an unaccustomed strain. "Shall we go to the long hall?" The adults were ignoring them at the moment and Roxas wanted to go before an urgent job suddenly caught up with them. Axel nodded enthusiastically.

"Let's!" They both went into the Cleft proper, finding their way easily to the long hall. It was very crowded and Roxas could see there was a frenzy of activity going on. Barmaids were hustling back and forth with mugs of beer and bowls of stew. Roxas tried to imagine what was happening in the kitchen and winced. He knew old Amma only made enough for the usual crowd plus the full rations for the slaves. This sudden invasion would be stretching the kitchen to the breaking point unless they – "Oh look! They've slaughtered a calf." Axel pointed at the great spit where the freshly slaughtered bull calf was roasting.

"Ah." Roxas nodded. Slaughtering a prime calf was a great expense but probably worth it to avoid absolute chaos in the kitchens. Although the meat wouldn't be as good as it could be, without any aging. It was still probably better than serving the King's men plain stew or slave rations and by tomorrow the long hall would have reorganized to increase the size of their meals. "I don't think we should go in there." It seemed very crowded and chaotic. Roxas doubted their elders would appreciate the presence of two children. Axel quickly came to the same conclusion and nodded.

"Do you think your mom would mind if I came for supper?" The redhead asked wistfully. "I want to know what's happening and your father would know." Roxas frowned as he thought of it.

"That's if he comes home for supper." There was a very good chance he'd be in the long hall entertaining the visitors. "But if he doesn't there will be plenty of food. Why not?" Roxas smiled as he felt Axel's hand on his shoulder and glanced up to see the redhead smiling at him.

"Thanks Roxas." They quickly left and Axel made a short stop by his parents to ask if he could come. His mother seemed just as curious about the King's men as the redhead and quickly consented to her son going over to Roxas'. Unfortunately, Roxas was right and his father wasn't there when they arrived.

"Boys!" Arnfasta smiled as they trooped in. "I'd hoped you might come Axel. I have rather a lot of stew ready and Dagstyrr isn't coming home tonight." She shook her head disapprovingly. For his mother, supper was the most important time of the day and missing it was almost a sin. But the King's men didn't arrive every day.

"I'll finish it off for you." Axel promised and she laughed before ladling out the stew. Axel tried a bit and beamed. "Barley and rabbit, that's wonderful! Hey, is this the rabbits we caught yesterday?" He and Roxas had decided to try their luck with snares and had snagged three plump rabbits.

"It is actually, along with chickpeas and fresh beans." Arnfasta said with a smile as she buttered a piece of dark bread and pushed it over to the redhead. Roxas tried his stew. He didn't much care for the green beans but the rest of it was quite fine, lightly spiced with salt and garlic. The bread was good too, heavy but fresh.

"Do you have any idea why the King's men are here nana?" Roxas asked when they'd eaten a bit. Arnfasta frowned and shook her head, reaching up to run her fingers across her braid.

"No. I do hope it's not about the taxes." She murmured and Axel blinked as Roxas frowned.

"But we always pay them on time!" Axel protested and Arnfasta nodded before taking another bite of her stew.

"And in full. But audits can be done randomly. We might be unlucky." She shook her head. "We keep all the records in the strong room. If that's the case, this will be a tedious week sorting them out and presenting them to the King's men." Roxas winced at the thought of having these strangers here for a week. He hadn't gotten a chance to find out what they were like but even if they were the best behaved guests in the world, they would be a drain on the Cleft. He doubted they would pay anything for the food and fodder they used up. "But there's nothing we can do about that. Have you learned the tale of Skaldr yet?"

"Yes nana. I can recite it if you want." Roxas offered. The skald trained the boys on the common history of the Glisterheim. It wasn't as important as the weapons training but they were expected to memorize the great chants and the religious prayers. Arnfasta laughed and shook her head.

"That's not a suitable story for the dinner table, but good. And you?" She turned her attention to Axel who hunched a bit in his chair.

"Having trouble remembering." He mumbled, embarrassed. She clucked her tongue reprovingly and shook her head.

"You'll have to work harder at that. The chants are important." Arnfasta said and Roxas vaguely wondered why. Although the chants could definitely be useful in some ways… he remembered the vivid description of a banshee in one. It gave a good amount of information on what they could do. But they were also taught about common monsters so why did they need the chants for that? "They define our common heritage."

"Oh, you mean the corn people would have different chants?" Axel suddenly said and Roxas blinked. That hadn't occurred to him but now that the redhead said it, it was rather obvious. Arnfasta laughed.

"Of course they do! And they write many of their chants down. Well, so do we, but that's for the skalds and the priests." The conversations slipped over into other things and soon they were talking about the horses and the progress being made with the foals. Axel and Roxas weren't experienced horse breakers but the foals weren't ready for that yet. All they were doing with them was picking up their feet, giving them scratches and treats and teaching them to wear a halter. All the boys got to handle the foals a bit, to prepare them for dealing with humans.

"There's one little filly out there that's so pretty. I'd love to have her when she grows up." Axel was getting a little misty eyed thinking about it. "She runs around like a dream."

"You'll have to see how big she grows." Roxas said with a bit more practicality. "And if she's too fine you'll never be able to afford her." He knew the filly in question and thought she might prove to be too fine. She was the offspring of their new stallion and one of the better mares and looked a bit better than the rest of the foal crop. Axel sighed and looked at his food as Arnfasta shook her head.

"You won't know for years yet. Maybe when she's ready for a rider there won't be much competition." She said encouragingly. Axel smiled at the thought and Roxas had to admit that it was possible. Even if the filly was very fine, not many people would want the expense of a second horse when they already had a good one. Still, Axel would have to be very lucky for that to happen.

"Thanks nana." Axel finished his stew and mopped up the savory juices with the end of his bread. "I better be getting back. Thank you for the meal, it was excellent." Arnfasta smiled, dimpling with pleasure at the compliment.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Come back anytime you want." She said sincerely and Axel nodded before leaving. Roxas helped his mother clean the dishes, hoping his father would arrive before they went to bed. He finally did come in just as they were putting everything away.

"Dagstyrr!" Roxas gagged a little as his parents hugged then exchanged a quick kiss. But soon the affection was over and his mother got to the burning question. "What's happening love? We're both dying to know!"

"Ah, well. Is there any small beer?" Roxas suddenly noticed that Dagstyrr looked exhausted and not terribly happy. His mother fetched the beer as his father took a seat at the kitchen table. "It's not very good." He said after he drained almost half the mug in one swallow. "They're here for a general inspection."

"General inspection? What is that?" Arnfasta sounded as baffled as Roxas felt but he kept his mouth shut and just listened. His mother was doing fine at getting the information. Dagstyrr sighed, taking a smaller swallow of his beer.

"We're not entirely certain. Apparently they're going to be inspecting everything from our forces to the state of our larders and the production of our copper. They expect to be here a moonturn." Arnfasta gasped faintly and Dagstyrr nodded grimly. Roxas blinked, feeling stunned. A month of these strangers? "Apparently they've only one team of many, touring the kingdom and creating some kind of list."

"I wonder why. Wouldn't the numbers of our warriors and their gear be sufficient?" Arnfasta sounded very uneasy now and Roxas bit his lip as he thought about it.

"They wouldn't be thinking of raising the general tax, would they?" He ventured and his father sighed, finishing the mug of small beer.

"I don't know Roxas but I wouldn't be terribly surprised. But we can only do what we can do. You lads need to get ready for an inspection tomorrow. Make sure your gear is clean and everything is in order." He instructed and Roxas nodded. That wouldn't be a problem for anyone. If Gegnir caught a boy with dirty gear they would wish they'd never been born before the punishment was over.

The next day dawned crisp and cool. Roxas quickly pulled on his armor suit, wishing it was the sweet tinkling of chain. But making chain mail for a growing boy was daft so it was only leather sewn with yeti horn plaques. His mother had lovingly made it and altered it several times as he grew but he would still be glad to exchange it for proper chain. He was better off than Axel though. The redhead only had waxed leather, which was a definite step down from the tough yeti horn. Roxas glanced over at his friend and met Axel's worried gaze.

"What?" He asked, adjusting the swords on his back. Axel frowned then shook his head.

"Nothing. You're just awfully short." Roxas glowered at his friend. Axel had just noticed this? The redhead continued hastily. "I just wonder what the King's men will think."

"Oh." That hadn't occurred to him but it was an interesting question. "They'll just have to deal with it. My adoption was approved by the priests out of Sandurr." The Cleft only had a junior priest and while his judgment might be called into question, the priests at Sandurr included several greybeards. They had done the auguries and consulted with the gods before blessing the payment of blood debt. Axel shrugged and they trooped out to take their spots in the lineup. The King's men wanted to take a good look at their equipment before they sparred.

"Hey, over here!" Roxas spotted Einarr waving and quickly made his way to the brunette's side. "Have you two heard anything about what's going on?" Einarr questioned them as they waited for the other boys to assemble. "My father won't tell me a thing!"

"Not really, just that it's a general inspection." Roxas said truthfully. "They might be here as long as a month." Einarr made a face.

"Oh, that explains it. My father hates to tell nana bad news, she gets all grumpy and – hsst!" Several men stepped out into the courtyard and the boys hastily got into their lineup. For the first time, Roxas got to examine the man in the purple cloak. In a way, he was impressed. The man had flaxen hair, almost the color of a corn person but lightly dappled with red. He was tall even for a Glisterheim and looked very imperious and powerful. He gazed over them coolly before speaking to old Njall.

"So these are your children. Quite a few of them, I see, and many on the brink of manhood." He made it sound like a bad thing and Roxas wondered why. Because they were too prosperous? Or was he just in a bad mood that he'd have to look at more boys than he thought? "Let us begin." The cool noble began looking over the boys, starting at the other end of the row. He found plenty of flaws in their armoring but seemed to generally approve of their weapons. Until he reached Axel. "What is this?" The expression on his face was disgusted as he looked at the steel wheels. Axel blinked, taken aback. "Why would you use the weapons of a priestess of Losa?" Roxas choked and Einarr had to hold back a snicker. Losa was not one of their deities but they knew who she was. She was worshipped in the far south, past the corn people and was the goddess of passion and fire. That suited Axel, in a way, but those weapons were meant to be used be a woman? That was hilarious.

"They were a trophy from the corn people. My family, um, fell on hard times so I used them." Axel held his weapons close as if he were afraid they would be taken away. "I'm used to them now." His tone was defensive and Roxas knew why. If the man insisted he use something else he'd end up with bronze. There was no way his family could afford good steel. The man sighed and shook his head.

"Idiotic. Do what you will." The man passed over Axel in disgust then stopped dead in front of Roxas. "What is _this?_" Roxas felt stunned at the disdain in his voice. "A slave pretending to be a Glisterheim?" Roxas felt a sudden surge of rage. That was an insult not just to him but to his clan!

"I am Roxas Iswulf, of the Iswulf clan." Roxas snapped. Old Njall cleared his throat, hesitantly touching the King's man on the shoulder. The noble turned to glare at him and he spoke apologetically.

"He was blood price from the corn people for the death of Iswulf's babe. He's a bonny fighter and uses the two handed style." The noble seemed less than impressed and Roxas felt even more resentment. It wasn't easy mastering the two handed style, not easy at all. "He joined us when he was but a weanling." Njall glanced around but the warriors with the noble seemed equally unimpressed. Roxas wished for a moment that he was taller. The Glisterheim were so set on height!

"Bah. And your priest sanctified this abomination?" The King's man said in disgust, ignoring the whispers and shuffling among the boys. Roxas reached up to touch the hilts of his swords but stopped as he saw Gegnir's glare. He was only a boy. He couldn't cry insult on the King's man although he desperately wanted to. "We shall see about that." The man swept away and there was confusion among the boys. Gegnir yelled at them and they broke up to begin practicing. Roxas hesitated before beginning his sparring with Axel.

He had no idea where this was going to go, but it would be up to his father to deal with.


	5. Insults and Honor

"This is fun." Axel said and Roxas turned to glower at him as Einarr sighed. "Well, it is!"

"The reason for it isn't." Roxas groused and Einarr nodded. For various reasons they had all been sent out of the Cleft to gather berries, nuts and set traps. "Did you really threaten to hit that guy Einarr?"

"He said my mother has good tits and should come with him for the night. No one says that to my mother." Einarr snarled and Roxas decided to drop it. The older boy was, thankfully, just below the age where he could cry challenge. Roxas had noticed none of the adults were willing to issue a challenge no matter how egregious the insult. He hadn't gotten a chance to ask his father about it yet but he was sure they had reasons.

And the insults had been egregious. Roxas had been the first but not the last to suffer the sharp edge of the King's man's tongue. His name had turned out to be Valdi Dofnakr. He was apparently a baronet in the Court of Unr. Not a high noble but quite powerful and with the King's seal to back him up. So he felt no need to waste courtesy on the inhabitants of a grubby copper mine.

"I feel bad for the slaves. They don't get a choice." Axel muttered. "Oh look, blueberries!" Roxas smiled at the clear meadow filled with luscious blueberries. There had been a fire here a couple years back, which was why they'd gone this way. Blueberries always flourished after a fire.

"I don't feel bad for the slaves. They get what they deserve. But if this lot keep eating us out of house and home the winter is going to be hard despite all the copper we sold to the corn people." Einarr said briskly. Roxas frowned as he began carefully picking the berries. The other children sometimes made fun of him but he tried hard not to damage the bushes. And his mother always appreciated it when it came time to clean the berries and remove any leaves and twigs.

He didn't really feel bad for the slaves either, despite the fact that they were his birth people. Some of them were prisoners of war but not really that many. The corn people were often willing to ransom such slaves back. The rest of their slaves had actually been sold to them _by_ the corn people and usually for good reason. They had all been petty thieves, ne'er do wells and the kind of whores who would knock out a customer and steal everything he had. Roxas wasn't sure exactly what was done to the slaves before they reached the Cleft, but they were all fairly pliant when they arrived. And he knew for a fact that the Glisterheim did the same thing with their own criminals and sold the results to the plainspeople. He knew of one man who had been caught stealing grain from the stores during the hard times and had ended up that way. He hadn't been willing to work in the copper mine like a slave, although that would have guaranteed him a full ration. It was rather ironic considering where he'd ended up.

"Well, don't go down to the long hall if you're going to take that attitude. Old Amma might belt you." Axel commented as he picked berries. Einarr made an interrogative sound as Roxas looked up curiously. "One of her slaves got raped yesterday."

"Oh." Roxas winced. That was a violation of longstanding custom. Rape was always something of a danger for the corn people slaves but a few sensible precautions and most young women could avoid it. The slaves in the long hall were a bit different though. Since they had to deal with men who were tired, stressed and getting drunk they had been decreed completely off limits. Amma didn't like it when her girls were disrupted at their work or sore the next day. They wore iron chokers to signify their status. Either the King's men didn't know or didn't care. "Well, we'd all be daft to go down to the long hall." The blonde said as he determinedly filled his basket. Axel nodded morosely.

"If I have to deal with one more of them asking if I'm really a girl…" Axel mumbled and Einarr snickered. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is. It's the only funny thing about all of this." He said with a grin and Roxas had to smile. The revelation about Axel's weapons was rather amusing. Before too long they had all the berries they could carry as well as plenty inside themselves. "These things won't keep. Bring them to our families?"

"Yes." Roxas said firmly. They could have brought the berries to the long hall but why should they? "Axel, want to come to my place for supper?" He asked and the redhead brightened.

"Do I! Of course!" Roxas knew why Axel was so happy. His family was really thinking about taking his weapons away from him and replacing them with a bronze axe. Axel was good with axes, Gegnir had insisted he learn a conventional weapon, but he loved his chakram and their good steel was superior to any bronze. "I should – no, nevermind. My nana will know where I am." Einarr barked a laugh at that.

"She will indeed! See you two tomorrow." Roxas nodded as Axel smiled and waved. Their parents had jointly decided that the three of them would be leaving the Cleft every morning to forage. The loss of their hands would hurt the Cleft a little but not nearly as much as their causing more trouble. Some of the stupider boys envied them the freedom but the rest understood that it wasn't a reward.

"Roxas!" Arnfasta looked up from her work on the stove with a smile and Roxas bit his lip as he saw how tired she looked. "What do you have there?" She asked as he and Axel set their baskets on the table.

"Blueberries nana." He answered and she glanced over the baskets, not leaving her stove.

"Excellent. Put those in the larder boys, I'll make a tart tomorrow." She said in an abstracted tone. Roxas nodded and took both the baskets. "We're having horse for supper I'm afraid."

"Horse?" Axel didn't hide his dismay. "What happened?" The horses were not really for eating but if one got too old or had some kind of mischance, they would eat what was left. Arnfasta grimaced.

"Ice wolves got into the herd last night. We killed two of them and drove the rest off but one of the mares stepped into a badger hole and shattered her leg." Arnfasta shook her head. "There was nothing to do but put her down. A terrible waste. Thankfully her filly was weaned."

"Oh no, was it the dam of that little palomino?" Axel asked anxiously. If the mother was gone he'd certainly never get a chance at the filly. But Arnfasta shook her head.

"No. I'm not sure which it was but I heard it was a bay." Axel looked reassured at that and Roxas vaguely remembered the dam of his favorite filly was also a palomino. "A good one too, from the way the men were grumbling." She looked up as the door opened and smiled. "Dagstyrr!" It was early for their father to be back. Roxas and Axel watched as the two of them hugged and gently kissed. "Welcome home husband."

"I'm glad to be home, wife." His father rumbled before looking up and managing a smile for the boys. But Roxas could see the tiredness on his face. "So what have you lads been up to?"

"Picking blueberries." Roxas answered and his father's smile lightened into something more genuine. "We found a really good patch."

"Good. I could use some of those." Dagstyrr took his seat and the boys both began setting the table. Then Axel blinked, remembering his manners.

"Oh, is it alright if I stay for supper? I brought my share of the berries." Axel felt no real pull to give the berries to his own family when he spent so much time eating with Roxas. Dagstyrr laughed as Arfasta brought over the kettle of stew, setting it down on the stone table.

"It's fine lad, it's fine. We're glad Roxas has a friend like you." Axel flushed a bit, looking down in embarrassment. Arnfasta began serving the stew as Dagstyrr cut the bread. The nightly routine was soothing and soon they were all eating. The stew was very good although it made Roxas a little sick to think of the poor mare. If the King's men hadn't been hogging the stables it would never have happened.

"Dagstyrr, I know you probably don't know. But do you have any idea when these people will leave?" Arnfasta said tentatively and Roxas and Axel both perked up a bit, listening intently. His father deliberately took a drink of beer before answering.

"No one knows. But it can't be too soon." His tone was grim and angry. Axel and Roxas exchanged a glance and Roxas had to speak up.

"Father, why doesn't someone call insult on them?" Honor was a very important thing to the Glisterheim and Roxas couldn't understand why no one was holding these people accountable. Dagstyrr smiled wryly.

"You mean, why haven't I called insult." Roxas flushed and looked down. Axel squirmed, uncomfortable for him. It almost felt like they were accusing his father of being a coward. "There's no point in starting a battle you cannot win." Dagstyrr drained his mug as Roxas frowned, trying to understand. "Perhaps we should have been more frank with you boys. Thank the gods they didn't take Einarr seriously. Lad, a high noble does not answer insults himself, especially from common scum like us." There was a deep bitterness in his father's voice Roxas had never heard and the blonde swallowed as he continued. "They have fighters who meet such challenges for them. In a way, it's sensible. Anyone who administers justice over a large area will offend many and they cannot afford to face constant challenges."

"Ah." That actually did make sense. How could a King be expected to meet challenges personally? But… "So if you challenged him you would meet a well trained fighter in combat. But father, if you won he would have to apologize and make good your honor." Roxas didn't understand why his father had not issued a challenge. Or Einarr's father. He was an even better warrior than Dagstyrr and loved Einarr's mother.

"If I won, lad, he would apologize and pay us blood debt. And before the year was out, you or I or both of us would be dead." Roxas stared as his father leaned forward, meeting his eyes. "That's what they do in the Court of Unr. They never forgive a slight, let alone a humiliation and they favor poison. Or untraceable accidents." Roxas and Axel were both utterly shocked. Was he serious?

"Then they have no honor." Axel said and Dagstyrr laughed.

"I'll not disagree, but don't say that out loud again. The walls have ears." Axel swallowed and nodded, exchanging another glance with Roxas. This was like – like the stories they'd heard of the Court, actually.

"I guess the skalds were pretty accurate." Roxas said with graveyard humor and his father nodded, finishing off his piece of bread. Arnfasta started to cut him another but he shook his head.

"They usually are lad. And they certainly are in this case." Dagstyrr clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore and Arnfasta began telling a lighthearted little story of her sister's youngest girl. It was full of girlish things like embroidery and dolls but Roxas still felt relieved.

Boring was infinitely preferable to the treachery that was the Court of Unr.

* * *

"You wouldn't believe what my father told me last night." Einarr groused as Axel and Roxas baited their hooks. Today they'd decided to go fishing. Odds were they wouldn't catch much but anything would help to stretch the supplies a bit more.

"What's that?" Roxas said absently as he dropped his line into the water. They were using a real boat this time and Axel had manned the oars as Einarr and Roxas used the bucket to bail water on occasion. The boat was more a bit leaky. Now they were settling in for the long business of waiting for a bit, interspersed with a bit of bailing when the water got a bit too high. It wasn't really the most fun activity in the world but the fish could be salted or smoked and saved for –

"The Court is angry with us that we sold all that copper to the corn people." Roxas blinked as Axel turned his head to stare at the brunette. "They say we should have reserved it for Sandurr's fief and the King."

"What! But they didn't pay us full measure last time." Roxas protested and Axel nodded. "That's absurd. It's just copper." Copper was useful, to be sure, but bronze was not a war metal. Einarr frowned.

"Father said the noble bastard insists the plainspeople are using bronze for something new. Some kind of cannon." Roxas frowned as Axel scratched his nose. Bombards were not unknown but they were massive, ugly things. Some people had tried to make personal weapons with gunpowder but they were well nigh useless. They didn't function well in the wet and wizards and priests could set them off at a distance. Cannons had a much larger range so they were somewhat safer. "For ships." Einarr elaborated.

"Oh, ships." That did make more sense. Warships could afford to lug around the heavy bombards and they worked rather well for them. "But what does that matter to us? We're landlocked." Roxas wondered. The land of the Glisterheim was bordered by that of their close cousins, the Vallaheim. There was quite a bit of intermarriage between the two lands but they were still separate people and the Vallaheim were the masters of the sea. Einarr shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe we have an alliance with the Vallaheim. All I know is they're looking at us like we might be traitors." Einarr sounded disgusted by the very idea and Roxas winced. No wonder Valdi had reacted so badly to seeing a short lad in the children! Although he was still an idiot. Roxas had been here long before copper became any kind of issue. "They insisted we butcher another calf too."

"What! Are you serious?" Axel demanded and Einarr nodded. "Why didn't they just eat the horse? The rest of us could have just had bread and soup!" That was the usual fare. Einarr smiled, sharp edged and mocking.

"Horse meat seems to be considered uncivilized in the Court of Unr. Like paying your subjects for their hospitality." Einarr brooded a moment as Roxas and Axel exchanged a glance. This was bad. Every bull calf that was slaughtered prematurely meant less meat for the winter. Although if the strangers stayed too long it would be a moot point. If there wasn't enough fodder or coin to buy it with some of the milk producing cattle would have to be slaughtered too. Roxas bit his lip as he thought about it. It had been years since the Cleft had needed to do that but it looked like the King's men were bent on turning a good year into a bad one.

"Let's catch some fish." He finally said and the other two boys nodded, turning their attention back to their poles.

There wasn't much else they could do to help.

* * *

Before the noble and his train departed, they managed to insult almost everyone in the Cleft. Even the priest came in for a tongue lashing for the state of the idols. The Glisterheim favored Ravana and Freka, the goddess of wisdom and the god of deep forests. But they worshipped the rest of the pantheon as well and the Cleft's shrine had little idols dedicated to the other gods at the foot of the statues of Ravana and Freka. The King's man had taken exception to the idol of Hetanya, with her crown of corn and beneficent smile. The fact that it had been there as long as the oldest man in the Cleft could remember meant nothing to him.

When they finally departed, the King's men left behind a great deal of relief and smoldering resentment. The entire population of the Cleft, from the lowliest slave to old Njall, had been united in hate for the arrogant outsiders. But it was an impotent hatred. If the Court of Unr wanted to they could utterly ruin the Cleft without a thought. Simply refusing to send caravans would do it. Without markets, a copper mine was nothing but a hole you tossed money into. And the soil of the valley was poor. They managed to raise fodder for the horses and cattle and some fresh vegetables but very little else. Things gradually went back to normal, though, and the obnoxious visitors were forgotten.

It would be a year before they thought about them again.


	6. Spring Partings

It was not the worst winter the Cleft of Hrafin had ever faced but it was far from the best. A great bitterness seemed to linger in the deep halls, made sharper by the unfairness of it all. The supplies they had bought from the corn people should have easily seen them through the winter. Now they were forced to ration supplies and everyone from the slaves to the elders ate less.

Worse yet, too much fodder had been used. It was a heavy decision but they had spent too freely when the plainspeople were there, not realizing what would befall them. They could not afford to purchase enough fodder to see all the horses and cattle through the winter. The eldest mares and geldings were slaughtered along with some of the milk cows whose production had been going down. Everyone ate well for a time but the meat was seasoned with defeat.

Roxas and Axel both tried to ignore the dour mood of the Cleft and often played with Einarr in between work and practice. The pace of work slowed greatly in the winter and before long they were regularly ice fishing and setting traps for rabbits. Einarr even managed to catch a duck with his crossbow. Split three ways it hadn't been too much, but added to one of his mother's stews it had been delicious.

Finally spring came and with it a sense of renewed hope. Roxas smiled as he checked over a pregnant mare in the pasture. She was almost asleep and obediently lifted a hoof for him when he asked. He used a copper pick to clean off the dirt and manure, checking for any signs of injury. There was nothing, just good hard hoof. The Glisterheim of the Cleft didn't believe in shoeing their horses so they had been bred with strong hooves in mind. Although they did sometimes put boots on their horses when they had to ride them through the mountains. It looked a bit silly, perhaps, but so far the horses hadn't complained. Roxas felt something nudge him and turned his head to see a yearling trying to search for treats.

"No." He said firmly, pushing him away. The little colt knew better but young horses were often naughty, just like human children. The colt quickly got the message and trotted away, pausing to eat a bit of grass. The meadow was lush from the early spring rains. Roxas began to groom the mare, checking for any injuries as he did. Grooming was always the easiest time to check for any –

"Roxas!" Something big and stupid hugged him from behind. Roxas almost lost his grip on the currycomb and the mare snorted, lifting her head and stamping a hoof.

"You snail! Stop it!" Roxas quickly stepped back from the mare. She was calm and sweet but still weighed a thousand pounds. Then he suddenly realized Axel was _upset._ "What's wrong?"

"The King's men!" Roxas blinked. He hadn't thought of them for months, although everyone was still rather bitter about it. "They're back and they want you!"

"What?!?" Roxas swallowed as Axel hugged him even tighter. That didn't sound good. "Ow! Axel!" Roxas squirmed as Axel's grip verged on bruising. "Make some sense – ah." Several adults were heading from the Cleft and Roxas swallowed again as he spotted his father among them. He should have been working in the mines right now and he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked furious.

This could not possibly be good.

* * *

"They can't do this. How can they do this?" Arnfasta sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Old Amma whispered something to her and she put on a stoic face, regaining control of herself. The Glisterheim did not weep in public no matter how much they might break down in private.

They were in Old Njall's meeting hall. Roxas had never seen it before and would have preferred not to see it for many years. It was the room used by the menfolk when they made the decisions that would affect the Cleft, like how much grain and fodder to buy for the winter. Right now it was packed with far more than the usual grouping since many of the womenfolk had refused to be left out of the discussions. The welfare of children was more their province than the men's in any case.

"The Court of Unr does what they please. They always have." Einarr's father growled, a heaving finger slamming down onto the papers the King's man had given them. It wasn't Valdi, of course. This time only warriors had been sent to them and the man who had given them the King's writ had actually seemed a bit uncomfortable with his duty. But that would not stop him from carrying it out.

Roxas desperately wished Axel was sitting beside him. But the other children had not been allowed in for the meeting. That made sense – there was just barely enough room as it was – but he missed the redhead by his side. And he didn't even want to imagine how Axel was reacting to the news.

"I can't believe they're demanding this of us. This is an insult to the honor of Iswulf. No, to the whole Cleft!" Vali's father said with a scowl. "Possible traitors my backside!" Old Njall rubbed his chin and nodded.

"It's also an insult to the priests of Sandarr." Roxas glanced over at the priest, who was listening, expressionless. He was a younger man, only perhaps ten years older than Roxas himself and had weak eyes. That had given him a constant squint over the years. "What say you, Djalfi?"

"I have read over the King's writ." He said slowly. His voice was surprisingly deep, a rumbling bass. "We priests are subject to the dictates of the Court priests, just as you are subject to the Court. It is clear from my reading that the decisions of Sandarr have been called into question. What this means for the priesthood I do not know, but in this matter we can expect no help from that quarter."

"Even the fastest courier couldn't reach Sandarr's fief in time anyway. They want him gone within three days. That's how long they're resting their horses." Dagstyrr said, bitter anger in his voice.

"Three days!" Arnfasta sounded on the verge of tears again and had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. "How can we accede to this – this blasphemy?" There was an uncomfortable silence and Roxas swallowed hard.

The King's Writ had demanded that he be exiled from the Cleft and the Glisterheim as a whole. It had named him as a potential traitor and revoked his adoption, sanctified by the priests of Sandarr. Roxas had never heard of an adoption being sundered this way, particularly when it was the price of a blood debt. It was truly blasphemous and the blonde felt cushioned in a numb kind of shock. No one was even mentioning the last part of the letter… that he could remain as a slave. It was one thing to be captured in combat and forced into slavery. Donning the slave chain willingly was a dishonor and even suggesting it was an insult. But the Court of Unr didn't care about that.

_They don't care about us at all. We'd be better off with the corn people. _Roxas thought angrily, but didn't voice the sentiment. It was traitorous and it might not even be true. The plainspeople's high courts might be just as corrupt. He really had no idea. He looked up as he felt hands on his shoulders. Arnfasta was standing behind him now, holding onto him like she might loose him at any moment. Roxas forced a smile and reached up to touch her hand. Then his attention was pulled away as Old Njall spoke.

"There is little we can do. If we refuse to obey such a writ, they will cut us off to wither. Or send the army to starve us out." There were winces all around the table. The Cleft of Hrafin was well designed to withstand a siege and in its long history, corn people and bandits had laid siege five times. Each time the Cleft had held them off until the King's army could come and destroy the invaders. But if the King himself laid siege to them…

"Then I must leave." He said determinedly then winced as his mother's hands tightened on his shoulders. "Nana…" Her grip loosened as she realized what she was doing but Roxas could hear her small, stifled sob. He cautiously glanced behind him and saw unseemly emotion on her face. Was his mother going to cry in public?

"Wife, perhaps you should start packing some bags for him." Dagstyrr said as gently as he could. Arnfasta sniffed and nodded, scrubbing her face.

"Yes, I'll – I'll go pack." She quickly left the room, followed by Old Amma and her best friend, the widow Nauma. Roxas knew they would help his mother cope with her grief. The women always pulled together when a child died or was hurt. This was different, of course, but that would only make it worse for Arnfasta.

"I must leave." Roxas continued when she was gone. "For the good of the Cleft. The Court of Unr might think me a possible traitor but I know where my duty lies." Old Njall nodded gravely as his father looked both saddened and proud of him. The other men seemed uneasy and Roxas could guess why. His calm acceptance of the situation made them feel like cowards. "I'm only one year from my majority. If he will, Djalfi can do the ritual early." That was often done when a child needed to leave the home early, or some terrible mischance had happened to a parent and the child was nearly adult. The priest considered him thoughtfully for a moment then nodded.

"It is only right. Let me go prepare." He stood and several men moved out of the way for him as he left the room. The ritual was fairly simple but it did require fasting and cleansing on the part of the priest. It made Roxas glad that once thing he would never be was a priest.

"Then it is settled. We have no choice but to do as the Court of Unr commands." Old Njall's voice was regretful but firm. "Gegnir, help Dagstyrr prepare him." Roxas gave the arms trainer a curious look. Why Gegnir? Old Njall noticed and elaborated. "He was a mercenary for the plainspeople in his youth, Roxas. He'll be able to teach you some of their ways."

"Ah." Roxas swallowed as he really realized that for the first time in his life, he was going to go live among people who didn't tower over him. People who looked like him on the outside but were completely alien to him. And he would be doing it alone. He couldn't ask Axel to give up his family and the Cleft. "Thank you." He said politely to Gegnir, who nodded.

He would have much to learn in three days.

* * *

Roxas took a deep breath as he tried to remember all the information Gegnir had given to him. Everything from how to find a safe inn to the holy symbol of Hetanya had been given to him in one great haystack of information. Roxas wasn't sure if there was a needle in it, or if every strand was equally important. He would just have to see.

Axel hadn't come to see him at all in those three days and Roxas felt almost betrayed. He wasn't sure why the redhead was staying away. Wasn't he at least going to say goodbye? Roxas swallowed the hurt and concentrated on getting his gear ready. He checked over his armor one last time, wishing again for chain. But it was probably just as well. This way if he suddenly grew an inch or two he could just find a good leatherworker and –

"Hst!" A strong hand suddenly clamped onto his shoulder and Roxas started violently. Then he was swung around to look into Axel's face. The redhead looked wild and untamed, his hair even spikier than normal and his eyes wide and intense. The huge bruise across his cheek only made him look more powerful. But how had that happened? Roxas noticed the imprint of fingers and winced. Someone had hit Axel _hard._ "Come with me right now." Roxas tried to protest but Axel dragged him out of the room.

"Axel, my parents will be back any – hey!" Axel had grabbed him and slung him over his shoulder like a child. Roxas squirmed. "I'm not a baby! Put me down you snail!" But Axel was walking so swiftly that Roxas didn't dare kick him. He didn't need a concussion when the King's men escorted him out and Axel was nearly running. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm not losing you. I'm _not._" Roxas felt his heart stutter at the intensity in the redhead's voice and firmly told it to settle down. Axel wasn't going to – he just wasn't. The blonde wasn't sure what he thought he was doing but it wasn't _that_. Then he blinked as he suddenly realized where they were going.

"Why are you taking me to the temple?" Roxas felt suddenly worried. It was about time for the priest to do his rituals of manhood but his parents should be there for that. What was Axel playing at? The redhead didn't answer and finally set him down inside the temple door. Roxas blinked and stared as he realized Djalfi was there, wearing his formal regalia and completely unsurprised by Axel's presence. His robes were strung with tiny turquoise beads and embroidered with copper wire. It was impressive but everything had come from the mine, donated by the residents of the Cleft. "What is going on here?" Roxas asked, perplexed, and Djalfi smiled.

"Your friend has petitioned to have his ritual of passage at the same time as you." Djalfi said calmly and Roxas stared. "So he can leave the Cleft with you as an adult. He also wishes to swear himself to you as your bondling."

"No!" Roxas immediately denied it. He would not take Axel as his man at arms! The redhead shot him a hard look but Roxas held firm. "I won't accept that. Knife companion, yes, but not bondling." The hard look melted into something warmer and Djalfi… smirked?

"You needn't pay me the five coppers." Axel actually blushed at the wry amusement in the priests tone. "You'll need them. Very well, let us begin." The ritual was quite simple and involved washing their heads in holy water, and inscribing their names in a sacred stone with the symbols of Ravana and Freka. The priest added the symbol of Hetanya, to petition her protection in the land of her children. Roxas was sure the Court of Unr would have had a lot to say about that but it was just too bad for them. Hetanya might not be their primary goddess, but the Cleft still gave her reverence.

"If we're going to be knife companions I want the full ritual." Axel said determinedly. "No one is going to contest my right to leave." Roxas frowned, wondering again who had hit him. Had that been why Axel hadn't come to see him until now? Djalfi nodded, unsurprised, and took out a very small, sharp copper knife.

"Here are the symbols you must draw." He instructed them, bringing out another inscribed rock. Roxas swallowed as he remembered what this ritual entailed. This was going to hurt.

And it did. Axel had to take the knife and carefully draw the symbol on the back of his hand. Roxas bit his lip harshly to keep from moving. The lines needed to be as perfect as possible to petition the gods for their blessing. Then he returned the favor, taking the knife and delicately inscribing the lines on the back of Axel's left hand. The redhead didn't even flinch as the blood began to flow. When they were done they both dunked their hands in the holy water and Roxas had to bite back a cry as it stung like acid for a moment. Then he blinked as the pain was – gone. Entirely. Lifting his hand from the water he was stunned to see that the lines had been replaced with what looked like copper etching. Looking over he saw Axel staring at his hand with a stunned expression, running a finger over the copper filigree.

"The gods favor this." Djalfi said with admirable understatement. "You should go to your family and let them know the good news." He said to Roxas. "I'm sure they'll be pleased to know you are not leaving alone." Roxas blinked then nodded. His parents would be very reassured to know that Axel was going with him. Although he was guiltily aware that he hadn't even tried to stop the redhead. What had gotten into him? Axel was giving up his whole life. He could have stayed in the Cleft, gotten married, had children…

"Axel…" Roxas turned to him, about to say those things and was startled as the redhead laid a finger of his lips. Axel smiled and shook his head.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't say it, Roxas. The Cleft would be a cold and empty place without you." Then the redhead's arms were around him and Roxas felt a tug in strange places as he ended up pressed against that familiar, fur clad chest. "I'm never letting you go." Roxas relaxed, feeling reassured for the first time in a long, long while.

He would always have Axel.


	7. Hospitality in the Plains

When they went home and told his parents the good news, Arnfasta almost burst into tears. Roxas ended up hugged again, this time by a happy mother.

"I know you're strong and a good fighter but I'm _so_ glad Axel will be going with you." She whispered and Roxas nodded. She was a mother so of course she wanted him to be as safe as possible.

"It's okay nana. It will all be fine." He said soothingly, hoping she would overlook the fact that he'd had his ritual of passage without her. Arnfasta smiled as she released him then looked at Axel.

"And thank you so much Axel. The clan of Iswulf will remember this always." Axel blushed and shook his head. "Now, both of you eat breakfast." There was a platter of fried eggs and bacon on the table. Arnfasta suddenly frowned as Roxas and Axel took a seat. "Axel, do you have your gear prepared?"

"Um, no. My parents…" Axel shrugged helplessly and her frown deepened.

"I will get the saddlebags ready for you." She immediately left the room to tend to that. Roxas and Axel ate in silence for a while, enjoying the meal. Axel looked down at his hand, examining the copper marking with wonder.

"Isn't it amazing Roxas?" He said as he tilted his hand a little, admiring the way the copper sparkled in the light of the lamps. "I wonder what it means?" Roxas swallowed a bit of bacon and was about to open his mouth and say that it meant they were best friends when something stopped him.

_What does it mean?_ The gods surely knew how he felt about Axel, the deep secrets of his heart. They were the gods after all! _Does it mean you… feel the same? _Axel had never given the least hint of that in all the years they'd been friends. But then, Roxas hadn't given _him_ any hint of that, had he? Of course not! He hadn't wanted to ruin their friendship the way Vali had ruined his with Einarr. _But if the gods say we're supposed to be together then… maybe…_ Roxas was right on the verge of saying something when the door opened. He hastily bit back the words as his father walked in.

"Axel, I've heard you're going with Roxas?" Dagstyrr said and Roxas had to smile. News traveled through the Cleft quicker than oil through a goose. Axel nodded, his mouth full. "Good." His father couldn't hide his relief and Roxas frowned. Why did everyone seem to think he was helpless? Dagstyrr caught the look on his face and laughed, a harsh, choppy sound. "I'm not disparaging your skill, lad. But Gegnir mentioned to me that mercenaries almost always travel in pairs. It's dangerous to be alone in this world."

"Oh." Roxas hadn't quite looked at it that way and bit his lip. His father was right. It was a lot easier for a thief to knock you over the head and take everything you owned when you were alone. "I see what you mean." He had to admit. Axel laughed, holding up his hand.

"That's probably why the gods said I should go!" Axel said cheerfully and Roxas had to hide a sigh. That was probably it. The gods had blessed them so they could watch over each other and be friends forever. Not… something else.

"Have you said goodbye to your family yet?" Dagstyrr asked as he took a seat and Axel stopped eating for a moment, looking at his plate of food. He shook his head and his hair ruffled slightly, sliding over the still livid bruise on his cheek.

"No. Djalfi is handling it." Axel's tone was terse and Roxas' father gave him a hard look before nodding slowly. Roxas swallowed, understanding what wasn't being said. Someone in his family had given him that bruise, probably his father but maybe his mother or his brother. But however much they would want to punish him they could not gainsay the priest.

When it finally came time to leave the Cleft, Axel and Roxas were ready. They mounted their horses and as the King's men watched, they left the stone walls and began the long ride down the valley. Roxas glanced back as they rode and spotted his mother on the top of the wall, waving at him. Smiling sadly, he waved back.

He hoped he would see his family again someday.

"I hate this horse." Axel groused as they rode south through the valley, heading towards the place where it opened up onto the plains. In many ways, heading into the lands of the corn people was much easier than going north through the mountains to Sandarr's fief, or west to the forests of the Glisterheim proper. Roxas knew from his talks with Gegnir that there was only a modest fort at the base of the valley, intended to warn the plainspeople if the Glisterheim mounted an attack through the valley. That had only happened once in anyone's memory, the counter raid that had brought him to the Cleft. The fort had done the corn people no good at all. But then, a raid wasn't an army and they'd been able to slip past it easily enough.

"You should be grateful he's still here. He was almost put down at the start of winter." Roxas said absently as he enjoyed the fresh spring day. It was strange. Despite leaving everything he knew and the likelihood that he'd never see his parents again, he was glad to be going. He'd never allowed himself to dwell on it before… he loved the Cleft, after all… but the rest of the world was out there. They could go anywhere now. Why stop with the corn people? They could go even further south, see the priestesses Axel had gotten his weapons from. They could go even farther, see people they had never even heard of in tales or songs.

"Good riddance. I wish that filly were old enough for riding." Axel said, oblivious to his thoughts. Roxas shook his head with a smile as his mind came back to the present. Axel's horse had been spared because one of the mares had been showing signs of a terrible condition. It wasn't very common in the horses they bred, but it did crop up occasionally. They didn't have a name for it but it caused the pasterns and fetlocks to drop and put the horse in great pain. The elders had made the decision that despite being older than Roxas, Axel's gelding had more useful years left than the young mare. "Why can't he move a bit faster?" Axel complained as his gelding jogged along at his usual pace. It was actually a very smooth ride, but if Axel tried to get him to go faster for more than a brief spurt the gelding would make him pay. Roxas had ridden the horse a few times and had been amazed that a horse built to move smoothly could give such a rough ride when he was irritated.

"Don't worry about it Axel. It's not like we're in a hurry. I can pull up my mare if you fall behind." Roxas said soothingly and the redhead gave him a glower for a moment before laughing.

"I probably will! I want your mare." Axel admired his horse for a moment, making Roxas blush. His family had gotten the mare for him only two years ago and she was just ten, old enough to be reliable but still in the prime of her life. "She's a fine one. What's her name again?"

"Fleabite." Axel grinned and Roxas knew he'd only asked because he liked hearing it. "It's not her fault her coat is speckled." The mare was grey, but her coat was liberally sprinkled with red spots. It was a fairly common color among the Cleft's horses but it usually wasn't this extensive. "What's yours called again?"

"Wolf food if he doesn't start moving." Axel tried to signal his horse to go faster and the gelding did speed up… for a few paces, before lapsing back into his usual jog. "Stupid horse." Roxas laughed although he did wonder how far they would get before sundown.

As it turned out, any worries were unfounded. Axel's horse was slow but steady and they easily made it out of the valley before nightfall. They even reached a place Gegnir had mentioned to them, a spot where a stream met the road. There was a bridge over it and an inn on the other side. Although that made Roxas feel vaguely nervous.

"How does an inn survive out here? On the farmers?" He sounded as dubious as he felt. The inn seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Axel looked slightly puzzled then glanced at the river.

"Oh! What do you bet this river goes all the way into Glavareen? I bet it survives on the river trade." Axel said brightly and Roxas nodded, reassured. That would mean the inn's custom was extremely seasonal though. There probably wouldn't be hot food available unless whoever was running the inn had made some for himself and the staff. There would be beds though and probably some bread and cheese. "Ho the inn!" Axel called as they swung down off their horses. Roxas frowned, looking for a stable. There wasn't one but there was a small paddock clearly meant to house horses overnight. It even had a walk in shelter. A quick examination satisfied him and he began unsaddling the horses. He could hear Axel dickering with the innkeeper and that was fine. Axel was decent at bargaining, he'd get them the best price he could. Roxas was checking the horses hooves with Axel came over. He looked up as the redhead tapped him on the shoulder and was surprised to see him frowning.

"I don't know if we want to stop here Roxy." Roxas blinked at that and shot him a curious look. That was very odd. Were the prices too high? Axel quickly elaborated. "The innkeeper isn't charging too much but he insists we have to leave our weapons with him."

"What!" Roxas straightened, letting go of the gelding's hoof and stepping away. Everything seemed to be fine with him and the mare. "That's absurd! Or is that some kind of plainspeople custom?" It didn't seem likely to him. Gegnir hadn't mentioned anything of the sort and he certainly would have, no Glisterheim would be comfortable in a strange land without their weapons handy. Axel grimaced.

"He says it's because they've had too many incidents with strangers." Roxas viewed that with extreme skepticism. The people of Glavareen were not known for being rowdy guests and the only Glisterheim this place was likely to see were ones from the Cleft. They rarely left home and when they did, they were not really known for rowdiness either. Maybe the Glisterheim from the deep forests would be ruder and quicker to take insult, but they wouldn't travel this path. "I don't know. It's up to you."

"Um." Roxas considered it, glancing at Axel and then at the horses. They were already eating the lush grass of the paddock. It really was a very good place for them, well fenced in with a decent shelter. "I… think we should. We can use the rest and if this really is the custom we'll have to get used to it." Axel nodded slowly. From his expression he was as dubious as Roxas felt.

"Alright. Let me get the saddlebags." Axel quickly sorted through them and Roxas caught a glimpse of bronze before he stuffed something into a bag, detaching it from the saddle. Carrying that bag under one arm, he lifted the saddle onto his shoulder with the other. Roxas could only envy him his strength. "Come on snail! Food's waiting." Axel said with a grin and Roxas blushed, grabbing his saddle and carrying it to the inn.

"Do they have any food made? And how much do we owe them?" He was carrying most of the money. Axel shrugged.

"Only six coppers each, including supper and breakfast." That was very cheap and Roxas guessed they were right, the inn was seasonal and this was the off time. The innkeeper smiled at them as they walked in then suddenly frowned as he spotted Roxas.

"My pardon. I thought you were both Glisterheim?" He said with some confusion and Roxas sighed to himself as he found a hook to hang up the saddle. Axel laughed, following suit.

"We are! My friend here is an albino dwarf." Axel said with a completely straight face. Roxas shoved him, exasperated. "He's feisty too – ow!" Axel rubbed his head where Roxas had smacked him as the blonde turned to the innkeeper.

"I was adopted by the Glisterheim as a baby. The price is six coppers each?" He didn't really have a lot of interest in speaking with innkeepers, and this one looked more unpleasant than most, overweight and greasy.

"Oh, yes, of course." The innkeeper said and Roxas fished out a silver and two coppers. The innkeeper smiled again, managing to look like a hungry wolf as he took the money. "Thank you. Now your weapons lads?" Roxas grimaced but carefully took off his two blades. Axel followed suit, unslinging his wheels from his back.

"Nothing better happen to these or you're paying for them." Roxas warned and the innkeeper's smile widened as he stored them behind the bar. They also put most of the saddlebags there, but Roxas wasn't concerned with those. They had nothing but food and trail supplies.

"Nothing will happen to your precious weapons, I swear it by Hetanya." Roxas was somewhat satisfied with that. The innkeeper started to lead them up the stairs then paused with a frown as he saw Axel carrying his saddlebag. "What are you doing with that lad?"

"It has holy writings." Axel said blandly and Roxas had to firmly repress the urge to turn and stare. What in hell was Axel talking about? The redhead couldn't read! "I need to study them and I assume the room has a candle?" To anyone with any knowledge of the Glisterheim that would have been a rather transparent lie, but the innkeeper was a corn person and used to more literacy. His frown faded and he nodded.

"The rooms have candles." He showed them to their room and Roxas noticed it had no windows. But that was probably easier in the winter. The plains could get cold and windows were always a weak point in the insulation. "Would you like to eat in your rooms?" Roxas considered it a moment then nodded. The innkeeper was probably offering so he wouldn't have to stay in the taproom and watch them eat.

"If you could, we would appreciate that." Roxas said and the innkeeper smiled again before leaving the room. Axel set his saddlebag at the end of the bed and Roxas frowned. "What is in that?"

"Not now." Axel glanced at the door and touched his ear. Roxas' frown deepened a moment before he nodded. He could guess though. There was some kind of weapon in the bags. It made him wish he'd thought of it, although they did both have their boot dirks. "This is pretty nice." Axel said as he tested the bed. It was clean enough although it was a bit dusty. Roxas thought this room hadn't been used in a while.

"It doesn't look too infested. It'll have to do." Roxas knew the rest of the Glisterheim considered it a bit eccentric, but the Glisterheim of the Cleft had always tried to keep the fleas and lice under control. The herb women made plenty of remedies for them and Roxas had brought some along. They were far from perfect though and he didn't want to use them up too quickly. It was quite likely the corn people were more like the Glisterheim from Sandarr's fief and considered a lack of fleas to be a sign of imminent death. "It looks like we're sharing it." There was only one bed in the room. Roxas had to swallow as Axel grinned. The redhead looked so attractive, his eyes sparkling with life.

"Looks like! I'll try not to roll over and squash you." Roxas snorted and shoved him. Trust Axel to make a joke out of it! "I know, I know, you're a tough little nut – ah!" Axel slid smoothly to his feet as the door opened. Roxas stared at the huge man standing in the hallway.

For a corn person, he was tall. Not nearly as tall as Axel but far broader, he was barrel chested and powerful looking. Wicked scars slid up one cheek and Roxas noticed queasily that he was missing an ear. Sandy blonde hair tried to cover the mutilation but it wasn't doing a very good job. He was carrying two trays of food and Axel took them with a murmured word of thanks. The stranger grunted back before leaving the room.

"This inn has some really weird people working here." Roxas said quietly when he was sure the man was gone. He'd looked more like a bandit or a really disreputable mercenary than a hireling at an inn. Axel shrugged.

"Maybe they're related or something." Axel tried the food and grimaced. "This is nasty!" Roxas blinked and looked down at his tray, then winced. The food was lumpy bread, made by someone who clearly didn't know what they were doing. A thin layer of greasy cheese had been melted over it with what looked like sauerkraut. Roxas tried a bite and found the gummy bread repellent. Swallowing hard, he tried to eat a bit more. They had paid for it after all. "I can't stand this. I brought some trail bread, want some?"

"Uh…" It was a waste of coins but Roxas finally decided he didn't trust this food. Better a few coppers lost than a bout of diarrhea. Or more likely, constipation. "Yes please." Fortunately the beer was good and Roxas picked off some of the sauerkraut to put on the trail bread. It was a satisfying meal and they left the trays on the table. "There's no bar." Roxas frowned as he looked at the door. There were hooks to put a bar but no actual bar and he wished he'd asked the innkeeper for one. Gegnir had mentioned it was a good deterrent to thieves. Axel shrugged.

"Put a chair under the doorknob. We'll hear anyone trying to get in." He suggested and Roxas smiled, quickly doing that. It was perfect. There was no way anyone could get in without waking them both. Axel peeled off his clothes, yawning as he put on a nightshift. Roxas followed suit and soon they were curled up together in the bed. Sleep claimed him before he could think much about the fact that he was sharing a bed with his best friend.

_Clink. Thump._ Roxas started awake at the loud sounds in the darkness. He immediately felt Axel beside him, stiff and wary.

"Light the candle." He whispered and Roxas nodded, sliding out of the bed. He could hear Axel shuffling through his saddlebag but ignored it in favor of the flint and steel on the table. Soon the candle was lit and shedding sparse light. Roxas looked around with a frown. The chair was still under the doorknob, completely undisturbed. That wasn't the sound they had heard. What had it been? Roxas ignored Axel and went to the door, examining it. Something about this… moving the chair aside he tried the doorknob. It moved but the door wouldn't budge.

"By Ravana! They've barred us _in._" Roxas suddenly realized, with horrible clarity, why this room had no windows. It had nothing to do with the cold in the winter. Axel looked puzzled as he quickly pulled his clothes and armor back on.

"What? What good would that do them?" Axel asked and Roxas winced. The answer was obvious but so terrible that he wasn't surprised it hadn't occurred to the redhead.

"Axel, there's no window and they took our weapons. All we have are dirks. By the time we could pry that door open we'd be dying of thirst." Axel looked horrified at the idea and Roxas continued, feeling sick. "Sure, it will be a little messy to cleanup but very easy for them." Then Roxas suddenly wondered. That man who had brought them food hadn't looked like someone who would work at an inn. How did they know the innkeeper really owned this place? It was very isolated and this was the off season. Axel laughed and Roxas stared at him.

"Good thing I sneaked this in then, eh?" Axel said gaily and Roxas laughed with him as he saw the flash of a bronze hand axe. It had just barely fit into his saddlebag and while their dirks would take forever getting through the thick wood planking, that was what the axe was made for. "Let me get started!" The axe dug into the heavy boards and with Axel's strength behind it, Roxas could tell it was going to make short work of them. He quickly changed back into his clothes and pulled on his yeti horn armor.

"I'm stealing your dirk." He told Axel, kneeling down by the redhead and yanking out the fine knife. Axel grunted an acknowledgement and Roxas suddenly frowned. The redhead was making a lot of noise and he was nearly through the door. If the innkeeper had any sense, he would –

"AXEL!" Roxas tackled the redhead just as a crossbow bolt whizzed through the great rent in the door. Axel roared in rage and bolted back to his feet, kicking the door hard. It split in the middle and he was through, his axe clashing against the ugly man's sword as the innkeeper tried to reload his crossbow.

But even at the best of times it took quite a while to reload a crossbow. This was not the best of times and Roxas was not going to give the innkeeper a chance at another shot. Axel's dirk flew straight and true, sinking deeply into the man's throat. The innkeeper went down, choking on blood and Roxas swiftly attacked the other man from the side with his own dagger. He was a good fighter but between the two of them he was overmatched. Roxas kicked him in the knee and Axel feinted before sinking the axe into his gut. The man grunted before sliding down and Roxas neatly slit his throat. Panting, the redhead paused to survey the carnage.

"I hate to tell you this, Roxas, but your birth people's hospitality sucks." He observed and Roxas laughed before bending down to search the innkeeper. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Don't you remember your lessons? Always loot the bodies." Axel blinked at the echo of Gegnir's words and laughed, cleaning off his axe before he joined the blonde in searching the second man. "Let's drag this carrion outside then get some sleep."

"Sounds good to me." If the innkeeper and his lackey hadn't been worried about anyone catching them, Roxas was pretty sure they'd be fine. Although it might behoove them to move on soon. Someone might blame them for what the innkeeper had been up to. Axel grunted as he hefted up the innkeeper by his armpits and Roxas helped by grabbing his feet. Together they dragged the corpse outside and dumped it in the back.

They would have to think about what to do in the morning.


	8. Julia

They both slept very well that night, untroubled by their kills and secure in the knowledge that they were the only people left in the inn. Or so they thought.

"A children's room?" Roxas frowned as he examined the room. It was morning and they were searching through the inn, looking for anything valuable they could sell at the next village. So far all they'd found was an ornamental set of silver spoons that had been gracing a wall. Well, that and the money the innkeeper and his crony had been carrying. That had added substantially to their savings. "Hmm." Roxas cautiously stepped into the room. It was very small and bright, with a modest glass window. The glass was bubbled and ugly but any glass was fairly expensive. Someone had spared no expense here. "…" Roxas picked up a stuffed toy, looking at the worn little bear. It had only one eye. Glancing around he tentatively decided that despite the stuffed toy, this room had belonged to an older child. The clothing in the closet seemed too large for a little girl and women often kept their childhood toys.

"Hey Roxas, look what I found!" Axel was grinning as he entered the room, holding up a small hand mirror. It was only brass but had been polished well. "Girls love these – oh hey, what's this?" Axel took in the room curiously. "Looks like my sister's room." Roxas had to smile at that. The frilly covers and flowery wall hangings were well nigh universal.

"Axel, I've been thinking. We don't know that that man was really the innkeeper." Axel frowned as Roxas continued. "We only know he said he was. He could have been a bandit."

"That would explain the food." Axel glanced around the room, but his gaze had a grim edge. "So you'd be saying that the innkeeper is already dead. But what about his wife and this girl?" Roxas nodded.

"Let's go check the cellar." They hadn't gone down there, assuming it would have nothing but the usual jars of pickled food and barrels of beer. They would get to those but only after they'd checked everything else. But if Roxas was going to try to keep someone locked up here, he'd probably keep them in the cellar. He was proven right as soon as they opened the door. Roxas grimaced as he heard a shuffling sound and a muted whimper. "It's alright. We're here to help you." He said soothingly as he lifted up the candle. Axel was behind him, holding his weapons and guarding his back. Whoever was down here had to be fearful and desperate. They might automatically assume he was just another of the innkeeper's lackeys.

"Wh-who are you?" The voice was young and female. Roxas hesitated then walked down the stairs a bit to get a better view. The candlelight spilled into the dark cellar and he could vaguely make out a young girl. She looked… pretty bad actually. Once she had probably been pretty but now her face was as badly bruised as Axel's, and in plenty more spots than just a cheek.

"We're travelers." Roxas said truthfully. "From the Glisterheim. We stopped here for the night and the… person running this place tried to get rid of us. We killed him and his friend, instead. Was there only two of them?" That was the one thing he was worried about. Someone else might have been gone to get supplies… but the girl nodded.

"Yes. They – they arrived here about a week ago. They killed – my – my…" She began to quietly sniffle and Axel slung his weapons back over his shoulders as Roxas cautiously walked towards her, reaching out to gently pat her shoulder. Now that he was closer he could see she was younger than he'd thought, maybe twelve. Long golden hair almost reached the floor and she would have been quite pretty without the bruises. "My nana and papa. There was a third but papa had a crossbow and k-killed him." Roxas nodded. Any innkeeper would have a weapon, but it wouldn't have helped much against three bandits. "My name is Julia. You're from the Cleft?" Roxas nodded and she continued tentatively. "Papa said the Cleft is a good place with good people."

"Did he?" That was a bit bemusing to Roxas. But then, an innkeeper on the road would certainly have seen Glisterheim from the Cleft. No corn person in their right mind would go to the Cleft unless they were selling something. It was a terrible way to reach Sandarr or the deep forests to the West and all they had to sell was copper. However, a Glisterheim wanting to leave the Cleft might travel down this way for a variety of reasons. If the passes were closed due to avalanche or winter, it would be the only way to reach the west. And of course, some folks decided to strike out on their own and the easiest place to go was the plain. "Well, we think it is. And we'll do our best to take care of you." Roxas offered her a hand and she tentatively took it, cringing away a bit from the contact. Roxas' lips tightened as he thought about why she was still alive. It would be some time before she readily accepted the touch of a man. Out of the cellar and in full light, Julia looked even worse than he'd thought. Her clothing was badly torn and she was dirty as well as bruised.

"I'll go pump her some water for her to wash with." Roxas decided and looked at Axel. "Why don't you get her some food while she changes?" There were plenty of clothes in her room and Julia would probably feel much safer when she was clean and properly clothed. Axel nodded.

"Sure thing Roxas. You go put something on kid and I'll have some biscuits ready." He said cheerfully. She gave him a grateful smile before walking up the stairs, holding her gown around her. "Aw man Roxy, this sucks." Axel said when she was out of earshot and Roxas blinked at him. "We can't keep the loot now."

"You ass!" Roxas shoved Axel playfully on the shoulder. "We'll be fine and she'll need it." Although he wasn't entirely certain what they would do with her. Julia was too young to run the inn by herself. "I wonder if she has relatives anywhere?" He mused as he found a jug and went out back to the pump. He hoped so, that would make this a lot easier. He quickly filled up the jug and carried it upstairs, pausing to knock on the door. Julia opened it and Roxas was pleased to see she seemed much more confident now that she was decently clothed. "You have a wash basin?"

"Right over here." Roxas poured the water in for her and she smiled at him. "Thank you." Roxas noticed the light in her eyes and hoped she wasn't going to get all romantic about the fact that they'd rescued her. That could get awkward.

"It's no problem. I wonder – ah." Axel was standing in the doorway now, beaming and carrying a tray of food. Roxas could see he'd toasted some of the trail bread and covered it in cheese and sauerkraut. He stepped out of the way as the redhead set the tray down on the table. Julia flinched away for a moment before smiling again, a bit more tentatively.

"I hope you like it. I'm not very good at cooking but I don't think I burnt it too much." Axel said cheerfully and Julia blinked before laughing and taking a bit.

"It's very good. Thank you." She glanced at the door and the boys both took the hint, leaving so she could eat and wash up. Axel made a bit more food for the two of them while Roxas went to check the horses and refill the water containers. They still had water in them but it looked like they would be leaving later than planned, and the Stable Master had always told them that the simplest way to keep a horse healthy was plenty of water. Keeping the guts lubricated, he called it. Both horses were grazing contentedly and Roxas smiled as he watched them. The only real problem with leaving would probably be getting Axel's gelding to give up the sweet grass. He went back inside to find that Axel had put together a slightly different meal for them.

"Pickled beets? Wonderful!" Roxas quickly grabbed a plate, filling it with the beats and cucumbers Axel had found. Along with a bit of cheese and trail bread they would make a tasty and filling meal. The redhead grinned.

"All down in the cellar. Oh, I found this too. Might be expensive but why not try it?" Roxas tilted his head at the bottle of wine in Axel's hand. He'd never had wine before. The Glisterheim to the west made it and some of the adults in the Cleft kept a bottle or two for special occasions, but they'd never share it with a child. And Dagstyrr had preferred beer in any case.

"Why not?" He agreed and Axel poured them each big mugs. The blonde sniffed it before taking a tentative sip, then blinked at the sweetness. "This is good." He took a larger drink, savoring the brew – no, vintage. Axel sipped his and almost choked.

"Sweet! Not bad though." Axel frowned as he took another sip of the wine. "I think I like beer better."

"Peasant. Haven't you heard that wine is the drink of nobles?" Roxas said, deliberately imitating the King's man. Axel made a face then laughed.

"If this is what they drink all the time I'd rather be a peasant!" Axel lifted his mug and quaffed the wine, making Roxas laugh.

"As if you've got any choice in the matter! I can imagine you at the Court of Unr telling the King he should switch to beer." Roxas teased the redhead and Axel grinned.

"I so would. I'd also tell him to have Valdi sent to Land's End and that he should marry his son off to my sister." Roxas almost choked on a beet at that. "Actually, no, he's not good enough for my sister." Roxas _did_ choke on the beet at that. Axel looked proud of himself as the blonde sputtered.

"You snail!" Roxas managed to say after he spit out the beet. "What do you have against Land's End?" That was the most northerly part of the Glisterheim kingdom. It only had sun half the year, or so Roxas had heard. He wasn't sure how that worked. Axel looked thoughtful.

"You're right, the people at Land's End are probably perfectly nice. Hmm. I know! Send Valdi over the sea. Maybe he'll find the lost land!" Roxas shook his head with a smile as Axel crunched a pickle enthusiastically. "More likely he'd been gone for good. Wouldn't it be grand?"

"Only if we could send the entire Court with him. Well, half of it." Roxas supposed there had to be some nice people at the Court of Unr. Probably hiding under rocks. The two of them kept eating and chatting until their meal was interrupted by the creak of the stairs. Roxas and Axel looked up as Julia smiled shyly at them. She was looking much better clean, although the bruises were still livid on her pale skin.

"Hello there! Want some wine?" Axel gestured expansively and sloshed a bit on the floor. Roxas winced and reached over to slap him on the shoulder. "What?"

"Don't waste that! You might not like it too much but it's not water you know." Axel looked a little hurt as Roxas poured Julia a mug. She accepted it with a murmured word of thanks and looked startled as she tried it. Roxas guessed she'd never been given wine anymore than they had as children.

"Oh, that's one of the bottles we got from the Glavareen traders." She said as she pulled up a chair and looked at the bottle. "Papa said it was expensive. I – I suppose that doesn't matter now." She looked terribly sad and Axel reached out to gently touch her shoulder. She didn't flinch away this time and Roxas swallowed back a strange feeling as he watched the redhead comfort her. Was he… jealous? But Julia was just a child, despite what she'd been through.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Axel said gently before asking what was on both their minds. "Do you have any family we can take you to?" Julia sniffed then nodded.

"Yes. Nana's sister married a carpenter in Vase." She replied. That was the first modest sized town on this road, according to the rather sketchy map Gegnir had given them. Roxas felt a great relief at that. At least they had a place to bring her. "I think I know the way." She looked a little lost though. Roxas guessed she hadn't been to see her aunt in years. Axel nodded.

"We'll find her for you and give her all the money. She'll take care of you." Axel said confidently and Julia smiled timidly. Roxas just hoped the redhead was right. Her aunt would have to take her in – surely the corn people did hearth right the same – but it didn't mean she'd have to treat Julia well. There was nothing they could do about that though and an orphanage would be worse. They didn't have one in the Cleft but he'd heard stories about the one in Sandarr.

Soon they were ready to depart. Roxas opted to take Julia on his horse. He was lighter than Axel and his mare was not allergic to work, unlike Axel's gelding. If the redhead's horse suddenly realized he was carrying double he might decide to retaliate by spooking at everything. He was really a very smart horse. It was a pity that every bit of brain was devoted to avoiding work. The little girl sat in front of him and Roxas held her by the waist, guiding the mare with his legs and seat. Julia couldn't really ride so they took it slowly, which suited Axel's horse perfectly. It was well after sundown when they reached Vase, which posed a bit of a problem.

"Should we just go find an inn Roxy? Or should we try to find her aunt?" Axel asked with a small frown and Roxas thought about it a moment. If they took Julia with them they'd have to pay for her to stay with them at the inn. It might be a little hard to explain, too. A barely nubile girl with a pair of wandering warriors, well… that was subject to misinterpretation. On the other hand, finding her aunt's house in the dark might be a pain. "Do you think you could find your aunt's place Julia?"

"No… I can't see…" She shook her head and Roxas sighed, unsurprised. The only illumination was the moon and the torches.

"The inn then." That wasn't too hard to find even in the dark. There was a large sign with unfamiliar script on it but it also had a crossed spoon and knife, the common sign for an inn. Literacy was more common among the plainspeople but by no means universal so inns and tradesmen had picture signs. The big oil lamp beneath it also helped. Roxas slid off his horse, glancing at Axel. "Can you put the horses away while I talk to the innkeeper?" Axel nodded.

"Sure thing." He went to the stable, rousing a small barn urchin to help. Roxas blinked as he felt a hand slide into his and smiled reassuringly at Julia. When they went inside the inn was almost empty, but not quite. It was late but several hard core drinkers and ne'er do wells were still nursing cups of brew and spirits. Several of them looked Roxas over at least one leered at Jessica. Roxas favored him with a hard glare before walking over to the bar. The innkeeper was behind it, polishing glasses as a single serving girl handled refills. He was an older man with graying hair and vaguely reminded Roxas of the tax collector who visited the Cleft once a season. He had the same sort of dour feeling.

"We're looking for a place to spend the night." Roxas said briskly. The innkeeper glanced at Julia with a frown and Roxas could almost hear him making a judgment on Roxas' character. Pretty as she was, Julia was a young looking twelve. "There's three of us." From the look on the innkeeper's face the judgment was getting worse. Then Julia suddenly spoke up.

"Do you know my aunt? Her name is Felicity Livius." The innkeeper peered at her closely and suddenly frowned. "These two brave Glisterheim saved me but we can't find her house in the dark." She said softly with a sweet, shy smile. The innkeeper hesitated a moment.

"Yes, I know her. You've the look of her." He said slowly then looked up as Axel came in, carrying the saddlebags. "Do you want two rooms?" He asked Roxas and the blonde hesitated.

"How much? And do the rooms come with bars?" He asked warily. Julia was very young to be alone, but if she could bar herself in that would be fine. And it might preserve their reputation. Roxas didn't much care what these people thought of him but they would need to buy some supplies. If the villagers thought they were into children the price would go through the roof. The innkeeper nodded.

"They do." A spirited bargaining session followed and they finally settled on two silvers with breakfast and fodder for the horses thrown in. It was too late for supper proper but the barmaid managed to scrounge up a bit of bread and beer for them. The innkeeper didn't even ask for their weapons and Roxas was quite relieved. It seemed that wasn't a corn people custom after all. After bolting their food and drink, they saw Julia safely to her room before finding their own.

"Man I'm tired. Hey, do you need any help putting that on?" Axel asked and Roxas paused, startled, in the act of putting on his nightshift.

"Put what on?" Surely the redhead couldn't mean his nightshift. That was… he didn't know what that was but it was making his mouth go dry and his heart beat faster. The redhead looked puzzled.

"You know, that salve stuff of yours. I could use some of it too actually, my skin is peeling." Axel scratched at a sunburn on his nose and Roxas started breathing again. He was talking about the skin ointment his mother had given him. Not something else.

"Oh, sure." Roxas sat on the bed and watched as Axel changed into his nightshift. Then he shivered as Axel applied the salve to his shoulders and neck, enjoying the feel of his friend's big hands working in the cool salve. Was it his imagination or was Axel spending longer than he really needed to on that? Axel stopped before he could be certain.

"There, that's it. Can you do me?" Roxas resisted the urge to turn that into a filthy joke and took the salve, spreading it over his fingers. He moved up so he was kneeling behind Axel, then began to gently work the salve over his reddened skin. "Mmm." The redhead sighed at the soothing touch. "That feels good."

"Ah… good." Roxas swallowed then tried to concentrate on his task. He couldn't let himself get distracted. He'd touched Axel plenty of times. This was just another. The fact that they were alone together, away from everyone they knew, didn't matter. Axel was just the same and he was not going to mess this up for the sake of –

"I think that's enough, hey?" Roxas blinked at the gentle good humor in Axel's voice and blushed, realizing he'd been stroking Axel's skin for too long. "Let's get some sleep." Roxas nodded and slid off the bed, going to blow out the candle. He came back to the bed and slipped under the covers, curling up beside his friend. Just before he drifted off, he heard the redhead murmur in his ear. "You're the best friend I could ever have."

Roxas was smiling as he drifted off to sleep.


	9. Sex is Hard

Surprisingly, the incident at the inn turned out to be a stroke of luck for Roxas and Axel.

Julia's aunt was shocked by the turn of events and while she could offer them little reward, she could and did get them supplies at local rates. That was a much better bargain then they could have gotten for themselves, but there was more. She was able to recommend them to a local noble who was looking for an escort for his son. The boy needed to go to university in far off Rivendale. Axel and Roxas were both very hazy on exactly what a university was but they understood the length of the trip perfectly well. It was well over a week's ride due west.

"Normally I wouldn't be hiring you." Squire Lurius told them, his brow furrowed in concern. Axel tilted his head to one side as Roxas took a drink of his beer. The squire had come to meet them at the inn. He was a very minor noble and didn't stand much on his dignity. "However, things are very unsettled at the moment and while my men are good they are not… practiced. Militia men, basically. You seem to have more experience?" He looked at them doubtfully. Roxas hid a smile as Axel answered.

"Oh, we've both been going with the men since we were, mm, fourteen?" The squire looked startled and Axel smiled. "Of course, we were mostly shooting crossbows at first. But I've been in a cavalry charge before."

"The Cleft deals with bandits frequently?" The squire asked, brushing back a bit of his blonde hair. He didn't sound disbelieving at all… more concerned. Axel shrugged as Roxas frowned.

"Off and on. Mostly corn people bandits trying to steal the horses, um, no offense." Axel said hastily and the squire laughed.

"None taken. You have beautiful horses. What breed are they?" Axel and the squire chatted about horses and bandits as Roxas vaguely wondered if he should shut Axel up. The corn people were ancestral enemies and telling them all about their weapons and how they beat off bandit attacks just didn't seem right. On the other hand, it wasn't like any of it was a secret and from the squire's questions and comments he already knew a lot about it.

"Will your son be bringing any servants?" Roxas asked, trying to bring the conversation back to their job. The noble blinked at him as though he'd forgotten Roxas was there.

"Oh, no. The university doesn't allow it. You, ah, don't know about that?" The squire regarded him dubiously and Roxas suddenly realized that the man must be assuming he was also a corn person. Or rather, a Vritan, as the corn people called themselves.

"I'm a Glisterheim. I was adopted as a baby and I've lived in the Cleft all my life." He said briskly, setting his hand on the table. The copper filigree sparkled in the firelight from the hearths. "Axel is my knife companion, sworn by the gods." The redhead grinned and lifted his hand, the copper flickering there as well.

"Oh." Squire Lurius said faintly then shook his head. "I should have realized from your accent. But I've never heard of such a thing." He sounded a bit bewildered and Roxas relented a touch.

"It was only because my parents lost their baby in a corn people raid. Bandits that were based out of a small town." He amplified as the squire frowned. The noble looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded.

"Shestal. I'd heard of that although I thought we ransomed back all the remaining villagers." He took a drink of his beer before speaking again. "They were all resettled down near the Glavareen border as part of the ransom." That didn't mean much to Axel and Roxas and he seemed to sense that, smiling faintly. "It was political. Your elders would understand. Well, I think you'll be perfect for this. I will pay you a gold star each to escort my son. Are you interested?"

"Are we!" Axel exclaimed and Roxas could only agree. A gold star was equivalent to fifty silvers. That was… Roxas had to think hard about it for a moment. A bit over seven silvers a day if they only took a week. That was very good although Roxas had to remind himself of how much they were spending to stay at inns and feed the horses. It probably wasn't out of line at all for a trustworthy man at arms.

"We definitely are." Roxas said firmly. "Will you pay us half up front and half at the end?" The squire laughed and shook his head.

"What would the point of that be? My son would have to carry the money and if you meant him ill, well…" He shrugged and Roxas winced, seeing why the noble was being so careful about whom he hired. He was right, they could just slit the boys' throat and leave him a ditch somewhere. "But Glisterheim from the Cleft are known for their honor, and the way you left all the money with Julia's family is as good a recommendation as I could hope for. Shake on it?" They sealed the bargain with a handshake. "He won't be ready for a few days. Would you accept the hospitality of my manor in the meantime?"

"We would be very grateful." Axel said with a smile. That was a very generous offer but Roxas was aware there was a bit more to it. Squire Lurius would probably use the time to get to know them better and pick their brains. But that seemed understandable now. If some circumstance of fate had forced Dagstyrr to send Roxas with a completely unfamiliar warrior, he would have done the same thing. "We've already paid for the night though." That was a bit of a problem. The squire shook his head.

"I'll make it right with the innkeeper. Go saddle your horses." Axel and Roxas went to tend to that as the squire had a quiet word with the innkeeper. When he came outside they were both ready to go. The squire handed them back half the money they'd given the innkeeper. "Sorry. That was all he was willing to return."

"Fair enough." Roxas was a bit surprised he'd gotten anything. Not that the inn was busy enough that they'd turned away someone else, but still. No one liked to give up money in hand. The squire mounted his own horse, a rather stumpy looking mare. It didn't take them long to reach the manor, which was only a short distance out of town. When they did, the two Glisterheim were both impressed.

"Nice." Axel said approvingly as he looked it over. Someone had clearly been working with a limited budget but good military instincts when he'd designed it. The walls were strong and the land around it was meticulously cleared of brush. The manor wouldn't stand against an army but it would be a tough target for bandits. The squire nodded.

"My grandfather was in the army, in his youth." The noble handed off his horse to a groom, and Axel and Roxas followed suit, although the blonde made a promise to himself to check the horses personally the next day. He was sure the manor staff was competent but you couldn't be too careful. The rooms they were shown to were quite nice, although Axel had to duck a bit to avoid hitting his head on the beams.

"This place was built for dwarves." He complained and Roxas grinned, poking him in the side.

"Now you know how I've felt my whole life! The Cleft was built for giants." He said playfully and Axel laughed, tossing back his head.

"Better giants than midgets – oh look, a feather bed!" Axel admired the mattress as Roxas sat down on it. "Is that as good as it looks?"

"Better." Roxas lay down on the bed, luxuriating in the feeling. His family probably could have afforded beds like this if they'd wanted them, but it wasn't the Glisterheim way. They preferred to invest in steel and better horses. Still, it was very nice. "Come see!" Axel grinned and pulled off his armor before flopping down beside him.

"You're right, best doss I've had in my life. Hey, get that armor off." Roxas yelped as Axel poked him then reluctantly slid to his feet, working off his armor and carefully hanging it up in the closet. He pulled off his boots, noticing that Axel had already kicked his off. Then he smiled as he saw the redhead was too tall for the bed. His feet were hanging off the end until he curled up his legs a bit.

Between the moonlight and the candles the room was well lit and Roxas paused a moment, just looking at his best friend. The candlelight glowed on warm skin as Axel dreamily looked up at the ceiling. He looked wonderful and Roxas felt himself blush as he contemplated something… unthinkable.

_Do I dare? But what if the gods do mean we should be together? What if he feels the same? But what if he doesn't? _Caught in an agony of indecision Roxas didn't notice when Axel lifted his head and looked at him curiously. _But the gods bound us together so even if he doesn't it can't ruin our friendship. I think. I hope? _Roxas gasped in surprise as warm arms suddenly enfolded him and he found his face against Axel's chest. The redhead smelled like leather, horses and sweat.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Axel murmured and Roxas looked up to meet concerned green eyes. "You've been acting a little weird since the gods blessed us. Is everything okay?" A large hand slowly rubbed his back and Roxas swallowed at the feeling.

"Axel, I –" He choked out before suddenly standing on tiptoes and mashing his lips against the redhead's. Their noses banged together and Axel flinched away, startled. The redhead let go of him and Roxas flushed, hideously embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have – I'll go ask for another room –" He was groping for the doorknob when a large hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't do that." Axel sounded almost – excited? Roxas turned to look at his friend, dreading what he would see and was shocked to see that he was grinning. Then a dark suspicion came to him. Did Axel think this was a joke? "Hey, do you like me?"

"I, uh, what?" Roxas blinked, feeling muddled and confused. "Of course I – oh. Yes." Axel meant like in a romantic fashion but the redhead didn't seem upset. Quite the reverse and Roxas gasped as his best friend hugged him again.

"I've loved you for years." Axel murmured and Roxas felt his heart seizing up. Was he serious? "But when you went to court Sigfrida I thought there was no way…" Roxas suddenly felt like cursing himself. Of course Axel would have assumed that meant he was interested in girls! He'd told the redhead he'd only done it to please his parents, but still. "Although I have to say, that was the worst kiss ever. My nose hurts."

"You snail!" Roxas shoved his friend before relaxing into his arms with a smile. "We'll just have to try again." He was sure they would both get better with practice. "Once we get our nightshifts on." He said, feeling a flutter of anticipation and fear. What would this be like? He had no idea. Axel nodded and Roxas thought he could catch a bit of apprehension in his expression.

"Right." They quickly changed and Roxas found the soft fabric of the shift comforting. Although it wouldn't impede them at all if they chose to do more. "Um, Roxas." Roxas looked up and saw Axel swallow. "I – I have no idea what to do. I mean, past kissing."

"Um." Roxas blinked as he realized he had no idea either. His parents had explained how it was between a man and a woman, of course, but they hadn't gotten into this. So all his information came from one of the older boys… the same one who'd told him that if a girl put your thing in her mouth she'd have a baby out her ear. Somehow, he didn't think it was reliable. "I don't know either." He admitted and Axel laughed before hugging him again.

"Hopeless! All I know is what I, um, overheard my nana telling my sister." That perked up Roxas' interest. What secrets did women teach their girls? He'd never had a sister so he had no idea. "And that was just that if a man wants to come in the backdoor don't let him, ever."

"Oh." Roxas swallowed nervously. That sounded a bit daunting. Was this going to be painful? Axel took his hand and gently tugged him over to the bed.

"Let's just kiss and touch and see what happens. Hey?" He murmured softly and Roxas looked up to meet bright green eyes, nodding. "Whatever happens, I won't hurt you."

"Hmph! Well, I promise not to hurt you either." Roxas said, almost grumpily. Was Axel assuming he would be the one putting it in? The blonde wasn't sure he was going to go along with that. Axel blinked then grinned.

"Hurt me? Aw, but you're so tiny! A flea could hurt me – AWK!" Roxas suddenly tackled the redhead onto the bed, making him squawk and sending a few feathers flying. They wrestled furiously for a few moments but Axel's greater strength quickly came into play. To his disgruntlement, Roxas found himself pinned to the bed, panting as Axel grinned down at him. "See? Hmm…" Axel nuzzled him and Roxas closed his eyes for a moment as the redhead kissed his throat.

"Mmm." Roxas squirmed until Axel let go of his wrists and reached up to run his hands through thick red hair. The spikes felt good in his hands, strong and a little rough. Axel kissed him then and it was better, so much better than last time. Axel seemed to know how to kiss. "Who have you been kissing before me?" He had to ask. Was it a girl? Axel grinned.

"No one." Roxas eyed him suspiciously until Axel explained. "I practiced on my sister's dolls when – hey! Don't laugh at me." Axel silenced him with another kiss and the blonde melted into it. Axel's hand slid under his nightshift, exploring his chest and teasing his nipples. Roxas moaned softly at the feel of strong, callused hands touching him in the way he'd desired for so long.

"Axel." He whispered his friend's name, sliding his hands over his chest as he looked up into bright green eyes, so wide and bright. Axel looked so pleased and Roxas smiled, feeling the play of muscles under warm skin. _He was wondering the same thing. Oh, thank the gods… _Their lips met for another kiss and it was deeper, more intense. Roxas felt himself melting into the pleasure and decided to just go where this took him.

Soft gasps and primal sounds of pleasure filled the air as the two boys touched each other and found what pleased each other. They were too afraid of hurting each other to do more than touch, but that was more than enough. The emotions were even more intense than the pleasure of the body and for the first time in his life, Roxas felt like his heart was whole.

"Roxas." Axel's breath was warm in his ear and Roxas gasped as he felt a coiling warmth in his belly, the beginnings of his orgasm. "I love you."

"I love you too." Roxas whispered back, then cried out as Axel squeezed him. He found his release then, in a moment more potent than any other orgasm he'd had in his life. Not that he'd had very many… and they'd mostly involved him touching himself. This was Axel and it was incomparably better than lonely dreams and fantasies. Axel's voice rose in a counterpoint to his own as the redhead released, his come wetting Roxas' hand and his own nightshift. The two boys lay together for a long moment, cuddling and looking into each other's eyes until –

"Oh… ick." Axel looked down at himself in faint dismay as he realized how messy his nightshift was. Roxas winced as he shifted and realized he was just as badly off.

"Let's just sleep naked." Roxas suggested and Axel grinned, sitting up to strip away his nightshift.

"Let's!" They used the dirty nightshifts to clean up the rest of the mess and Roxas reflected ruefully that whoever did the laundry here probably wasn't going to be too fond of them. But it couldn't be helped. They would have to figure out how to do this better… but how? In the Cleft he would probably have finally gathered his courage and approached Djalfi. The priest probably knew nothing about it himself, but he could have pointed Roxas in the direction of a knowledgeable and trustworthy man who inclined that way. Everyone confided in the priests, sooner or later. But who could help them among the corn people?

"Oh well." Roxas couldn't find it in himself to care about that right now. His heart was singing and he felt beyond blissful. Axel loved him. It was everything he'd hoped for, a dream come true. They were going to be partners forever. Roxas said a brief prayer of thanks to Ravana, Freka and Hetanya. He didn't care that the Court of Unr didn't believe in Hetanya.

The gods were the gods, and he had a feeling they were looking out for him.


	10. A Brief Interlude

The morning sun roused Roxas as it gradually fell over his eyes. The blonde sighed and squinted, slowly rousing to a feeling of complete contentment. He laid still for a moment, savoring the feeling before turning his head to look at his best friend and lover. A smile tugged at his lips as he watched Axel sleep. He looked adorable, his face completely relaxed and his hair spread over the pillow. Then the light fell over Axel's eyes and he groaned, shifting. Eyelids flickered open and Roxas smiled as Axel squinted against the light.

"Good morning." He said softly and Axel groaned, tossing back his head in an effort to avoid the sunlight.

"It's morning already?" He mumbled before pulling the pillow over his head. "Don't want to get up." Roxas laughed and grabbed the pillow, pulling it away. "Hey!"

"Come on, we need to go check the horses." Roxas lightly smacked Axel on the shoulder. The redhead smiled as he pulled himself out of the bed, giving Roxas a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't get all sappy with me, Axel. We're still best friends." Roxas said it jokingly but there was a serious edge to it. They were lovers and he was glad, but he didn't want the kind of relationship men and women had. He wanted to joke around and call Axel a snail when the redhead teased him too much. Axel looked confused for a moment, then smiled.

"Sappy with you? The guy who shoved my head in a bucket once? I'm not that brave!" Axel gave him a quick hug and Roxas smiled, hugging him back for a moment. Then they both got dressed, leaving off the armor. Roxas made a mental note to ask if the housekeepers could launder all of their clothes. That was an expensive service in a town but here it could probably be done for free.

The first thing they did was to go check on their horses. The stablehands were a bit puzzled but directed them to the paddock their horses had been turned out in. Just like the Cleft, the corn people checked the horses at daybreak and turned them out into the pasture all day. The only part that was a bit puzzling was the fact that their horses had been turned out in a smaller paddock with only a new mare and a donkey for company.

"Oh, I bet that mare is the boy's horse and the donkey is for carrying supplies." Axel said and Roxas blinked, watching the horses and the donkey get along.

"You're probably right." The mare and the donkey both looked fit and healthy and seemed to be interacting well with Fleabite and Axel's gelding. "Seriously, what is your gelding's name?" Roxas really couldn't remember. Axel sighed.

"Valdor." Roxas had to suppress a snicker. That was the name of one of their ancestral heroes and it was a ridiculous name for Axel's slow, lazy horse. "Hey, he does a good charge."

"If you say so." Roxas said before he vaulted over the fence. The new mare shied away from him but his own came to him immediately, nickering for treats. "No." Roxas gently pushed her head away. She stood patiently and lifted her feet obediently when he asked. "Hm." Roxas could see the marks where someone had cleaned out her feet, probably this morning. "These people know what they're doing." His respect for Squire Lurius increased a notch. His stablehands were definitely competent. A quick check made it clear she'd been groomed as well and he rewarded her for her patience with a bit of carrot and a scratch.

"Yep! My boy is fine." Axel said cheerfully as he finished his own inspection and gave his gelding a treat. "Should we check the other two?"

"I suppose." Roxas doubted there would be anything wrong but it would be good to make sure, and also get a feel for the new animals. The mare seemed a little skittish but also fairly smart and she seemed to understand that the strangers in her paddock had treats. It took a bit of work but soon Roxas was handling her hooves. Axel tentatively looked over the donkey and Roxas had to laugh. The donkey was completely ignoring the redhead and Axel clearly had no clue.

"Don't laugh at me! Are these things like horses?" Axel asked, a touch crossly. Roxas had to shrug. The Cleft didn't keep donkeys at all. They used their horses for everything –

"They're a little different." They both turned to look at a silver haired boy. He was wearing a threadbare vest and old, battered pants with no shoes. Roxas frowned at that. The Stable Master back at the Cleft had never let the boys go barefoot in the stables or the pasture, although it occurred to Roxas that he didn't really know why. "Donkeys are smarter than horses and they can reason through things. They'll refuse to do anything they decide is too dangerous and they're a lot less prone to panic than horses." The boy smiled as he gave the donkey a gentle rub. It brayed and Roxas winced at the sound. "They can live on poorer pastures than horses. Actually, they tend to get fat quickly if the grass is too lush. They also have good memories and they're vindictive. Whatever you do, don't abuse them. They'll remember and get you for it."

"As if we would!" Roxas said, a bit annoyed with the implication that they would hurt an animal. If the Stable Master ever caught a boy abusing a horse, or anything else for that matter, they'd get much worse than a cuffing. The silver haired boy shrugged.

"I'm just saying. Horses forget but donkeys don't." He gently patted the donkey and pulled a bit of apple out of his coat, feeding it to him. "You'd be amazed at how much they can carry. He'll be taking our supplies for the trip."

"Our?" Axel asked as Roxas blinked. "Hey, who are you anyway?" Roxas poked Axel with his elbow. Was this the squire's son? But the boy just smiled.

"I'm Riku Lurius. You must be Axel and Roxas." He was! Roxas wished he could go back in time a bit and show respect. A bit too late now. But why would a noble be wandering around looking like a particularly disreputable stablehand? Although their experience with nobles was limited to the insufferable Valdi. Roxas tried to imagine him wearing Riku's clothes and had to hide a giggle. "The ungrateful little brat you're going to be escorting to his new cage." The bitter anger in Riku's voice caught them both off guard.

"Uh… oh." Axel said weakly, obviously searching for something to say. Roxas found himself at a bit of a loss as well. Fortunately Riku took pity on them and waved his hand.

"Nevermind. My family problems aren't your business. Surviving the trip is. Father says you're both good." Riku made it into a question and Roxas shrugged.

"We're good enough." He answered as Axel grinned, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Ah, he's being modest! He's amazing with those two swords of his, you should see him go!" The redhead boasted until Roxas shoved him. "He's also a feisty little thing – ow!" Axel rubbed his head as Riku laughed.

"So I see." Roxas glowered up at the silver haired boy. He was at least a head taller than the blonde. It just didn't seem fair. "Have you two had breakfast? Father is off doing something but we could talk about the trip over some eggs." The reminder made his stomach growl and from the look on Axel's face, his was doing the same.

"Eggs would be wonderful." Roxas said and Riku jumped back over the fence, leading them back into the manor. Riku led them into a cozy little dining area, clearly meant only for immediate family. No one was there but them though. He pulled on a velvet cord and a maid appeared at the door.

"Could you fetch us some breakfast Emily?" Riku asked and she nodded, giving him a tiny curtsy before walking away. "Hang on a moment." Riku left the room and came back a few minutes later with a scroll. "This is a map. We can plot a route on it."

"Wouldn't we just take the normal way?" Axel said, a bit confused. There was a road that led directly to the city. Riku hesitated a moment then shrugged.

"We could, if you're very confident. There's been some troubles… let me show you." Riku stretched out the map then pinned it down in the corners with heavy weights. The maid came back with a tray of food and Roxas licked his lips at the sight of fresh eggs and toast. "Thank you." Riku said politely as he took the tray and she nodded again with a smile. The politeness startled Roxas a little, and he remembered how the nobles had behaved in the Cleft almost guiltily. Were the Glisterheim and corn people nobles so different? But maybe it was because Riku was really a very minor noble. Axel was clearly untroubled by the difference and dug into the food, taking three eggs. Riku smiled faintly, taking only one and Roxas hesitated a moment. "You can have the rest." Riku said and Roxas took the last three. "You see, there's been a lot of problems along this road." Riku touched the map and Roxas frowned. That was the route that had been planning to take. "You noticed how father's been asking you about bandits?" Roxas and Axel exchanged a glance before nodding. "He's been trying to feel out if you've seen anything else. You haven't, have you?"

"Anything else? What do you mean?" Axel asked, confused, as Roxas frowned. What was Riku getting at? The silver haired boy sighed.

"Undead, mostly. There's been a lot of zombies and wraiths appearing, as well as banshees and other things. It doesn't seem to matter how many times we sanctify the graveyards, they just keep turning up." Riku lifted a hand, his palm empty. "No one can explain it."

"Hm." Roxas reflected a moment. That was really odd. Graveyards and tombs sometimes became unsanctified, like the old tomb at the upper end of the Cleft. Resanctifying them could be tricky and the Cleft didn't have a lot of space anyway, so they'd started burning their dead generations ago. "How many graveyards are you talking about? And what length of time did this happen in?"

"It seems like every town graveyard on that road, although it's not confined to there. The problem is rather widespread." Riku drew a circle on the map that encompassed a wide area, then shrugged. "No one's really taken reports and we mostly get news down the road, so that's what I've heard about. But there's rumors about problems all the way to the coast. We haven't had any difficulties here and some people say it's because the Glisterheim in the mountains are keeping the undead away." Roxas and Axel both blinked at that and Riku gave them a smile. "I'm guessing that's not true."

"Uh, no. We just haven't had any problems." Axel scratched his head. "They really say that?"

"Yes. The people here mostly like the Glisterheim from the Cleft, and the other freeholds. That attitude will change as you go west." Riku warned them. Roxas nodded, unsurprised. Valdi and his warriors had been insufferably arrogant to their own people. How would they behave among the plainspeople? He didn't even want to think about it. Axel looked a bit daunted at the thought and Roxas reached out to touch his hand. "Anyway. Did you want to dare the road? Personally I'd prefer it." From the predatory look on Riku's face, he was looking forward to a confrontation with undead. Roxas thought about it a moment and looked at the map again. Avoiding the road would mean adding at least a week to the trip and there was no guarantee it would avoid trouble.

"I think we should take the direct route." Axel said and Roxas nodded. "I'm not afraid of undead." Roxas poked him in the side and Axel blinked at him. "What?"

"Don't be overconfident or a banshee will make your ears explode." Roxas admonished him and Axel grinned, ruffling his hair.

"Don't act like my mom or your brains will explode!" Roxas tried to figure that out for a moment then gave up. "You want to go direct too, don't you?"

"Yes. There are a lot of small towns on that route. If you can get your gelding to move we should be able to stay mostly at inns." Roxas was sure they would have no problems as long as they had stout walls. The only problem would be when they had to camp along the way. Riku nodded, rolling up the map.

"Good. I'll tell father." He said and Roxas noticed he hadn't eaten much of his food. Riku looked young and strong so that was a bit strange. But maybe he'd eaten earlier. Then Riku grabbed his piece of toast to take with him and Roxas almost laughed at himself. Clearly not! Riku left the room and the two boys set to finishing off their breakfast.

"This is so good." Axel slathered a bit of preserves on one piece of bread and Roxas nodded, his mouth full. The eggs and toast with butter were completely normal fare for the Cleft. The preserves were a bit unusual – Roxas wasn't sure what type of berry was in the jelly – but it was still familiar enough. "I think I like it here. I mean, except for the whole place being built for dwarves."

"You might change your mind when we go further west." Roxas said and Axel shrugged, eating another piece of toast.

"We can burn that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'll enjoy myself. Want some milk?" Roxas smiled and accepted a glass of milk, taking a deep drink. When he lowered the glass he saw Axel grinning at him. "You have a milk moustache!"

"The best kind." Roxas licked away the milk, enjoying the sweet creamy taste. The cows were probably on the estate and had been milked just this morning. Milk didn't keep long, unlike cheese. "Should we see if this place has a shrine?" They had both been saying the chants on the road but it wasn't quite the same. Axel nodded.

"Let's!" It took a bit of searching and the directions of a puzzled maid, but they found the small shrine in the manor. It was well cared for but there was no priest, which wasn't really a surprise. The village undoubtedly had a priest so why would the manor need a second? The shrine was different from what they were used to though. Instead of the statues of Ravana and Freka, there was a large idol of Hetanya. She was smiling, her hands outstretched and holding a basket filled with fruit and corn. A little bowl sat in front of her, filled with fresh flowers. Roxas remembered Gegnir's instructions and made the holy sign of Hetanya. "What's that?"

"The holy sign of Hetanya. You do it like this." Roxas smiled as he showed Axel the gesture. The redhead caught on quickly. "Look, they have little idols to the other gods. Lets say our prayers to Ravana and Freka."

"Right." It didn't take long for them to make their observances. Roxas asked the gods for blessings on the Iswulf clan while Axel spoke for the Karr clan.

Altogether, they spent two more days at the manor as everything was prepared for the trip. It was very pleasant and the servants were friendly enough, although the stablehands seemed to resent the close attention the two boys paid to their horses. Axel and Roxas quietly discussed it and decided they didn't care. Horses were too important to leave to someone else and they enjoyed the work. Riku showed them exactly how to handle a donkey and soon they were rather fond of it as well, although the little beast was still very loud. Finally, they were ready to leave. Riku waved goodbye to his father as they left and soon they were on the road.

"Wow, that donkey does carry a lot doesn't he?" Axel admired the little beast. He was carrying almost all of their supplies, lightening the load on the horses considerably. It didn't seem to bother him a bit. Riku nodded.

"He's a good donkey. His name is Jack." Riku sounded long suffering and Axel grinned.

"Jack the jack!" The donkey brayed and the redhead winced. "Ow. Sorry I mentioned it." Roxas grinned as Riku laughed.

"You should be!" Roxas smiled as he listened to the two of them banter back and forth. Riku seemed very nice, despite whatever family troubles that had led to him taking this trip. He was relieved to find that they wouldn't be hauling around a spoiled noble brat. A raven flew overhead and Roxas watched it go, its black feathers glittering in the sun.

The raven was Ravana's symbol. It was a good omen.


	11. Eat Your Brains

The first two days of traveling with Riku were mostly uneventful.

Roxas began to get a real feel for the land of the corn people and found that it was quite unlike the Cleft. But that wasn't a surprise. As Riku had mentioned, the Cleft was a freehold. Valdi might think of them as common scum and in many ways they were, but everyone in the Cleft could trace his or her ancestry back to a certain minor noble who had been on the losing end of a clan war. Fleeing enemies who would give him no quarter, he and his closest retainers and family had ventured into the mountains. At first times had been very hard and they had survived mostly on herding, but then the wizard of the group had discovered the copper. That had marked the beginning of the town that would become the Cleft. In time the clan would split, with several of the noble's sons and cousins taking on new clan names. As the rest of the Glisterheim reckoned things, the Cleft was held in common and had no noble head.

The land of the corn people was quite different and a bit unsettling. Among the Glisterheim of the Cleft it was a man's duty to be proficient with arms and an adequate horseman. Even the Glisterheim who labored in the mines with the slaves found the time to practice. The plainspeople clearly did things differently. They passed through little farming villages where no one owned more than a carthorse and a few crossbows and boarspears. These people were not able to defend themselves and it left Roxas feeling troubled, particularly after what Riku had said about the undead.

"It's probably not much different from the western Glisterheim." Axel said when he mentioned that. "Nobles don't want the peasants and serfs bearing arms. Too likely to turn on him, especially if he's an ass." Axel grimaced. "It does seem wrong though. To be honest, I'm glad we'll never see the Glisterheim of the west. I'd hate to see my own people like this." Roxas blinked at the thought and swallowed. Did the rest of the Glisterheim reckon things the way the Cleft and Sandarr's fief did? Perhaps not. The Fief had also been founded by renegade nobles and that attitude infused them. Almost all of the little towns and villages in the high mountains had been founded that way.

As Roxas traveled, he noticed something else slightly disturbing. Many of the peasants and serfs were afraid of them and that was right and proper. But some of them were actually… relieved? Reassured? Something that made Roxas worried. He remembered Gegnir's words on the subject clearly.

_Peasants will always fear you. Not because you're Glisterheim, lad, but because you have weapons and they don't. It's a natural thing and you can get past it if you act peaceful like. But at first, they will fear you._

Some of the peasants didn't though, and Roxas could only conclude that there was something out there that frightened them far more than armed men. Something that made the presence of weapons almost comforting, no matter whose hand held them. _Undead…_ Roxas shook his head. There was no point in worrying about it. What would be would be.

The first problem they encountered happened when they were between towns and forced to camp in the open. Riku stopped them near a stream and consulted his map.

"We'll never make it to Wartburg tonight." Was his verdict and Roxas sighed before nodding. Axel's gelding just couldn't be hurried but they probably couldn't have made it anyway. The donkey wasn't a lot faster. "There's still daylight but I think we should camp here. We can take a bath in the stream and clean our clothes a bit."

"Let's!" Axel said enthusiastically and Roxas smiled, shaking his head. The redhead did so love to swim. It was probably a good idea though. They'd had a bath fairly recently but public baths in towns were expensive. They took the horses down to the river for a good drink and then tied them so they couldn't wander off but had plenty of room to graze. Roxas considered the grazing thoughtfully and added several buckets of grain and water. The horses all needed a bit more than just grass with the work they were doing. The blonde laughed as Axel's gelding promptly tried to steal Fleabite's share of the grain and was snapped at. Riku's horse and the donkey quietly ate from their own buckets, ignoring the byplay. "Come on Roxas, the water is great!" Roxas looked up and saw that Axel and Riku hadn't wasted any time after getting the horses unsaddled.

"Hmph, slackers! Leaving me to take care of everything." Roxas said teasingly as Axel grinned at him and Riku smoothly dove under the water. He quickly stripped down, leaving his weapons right by the shore just in case. Axel and Riku had done the same thing, he noticed. He waded into the cool water, smiling at the worn, mossy rocks underfoot. It was slightly treacherous footing but far more pleasant than a muddy bottom or the sharp rocks that sometimes washed into Crescent Lake.

"So Riku, I was wondering." Axel said as he swam lazily. The silver haired boy glanced over at him curiously. "Why are you going to this University if you don't want to? Just curious." He added hastily as Roxas winced. They'd been avoiding that topic since Riku seemed very unhappy with it but they were both very curious. Riku glanced away, silent for a moment before giving a sigh.

"I suppose I should tell you. I'm my father's only living child. I did have two siblings, a brother and a sister but my brother joined the army and died in a skirmish. My sister caught the strangling angel and died." Axel and Roxas both winced at that. The Cleft was remarkably disease free, for many reasons. The first was the wizard who had helped found it. He'd come up with a system of copper pipes and pumps to get rid of waste and bring in fresh water from the lake. It had been very far sighted and the Cleft maintained those works religiously. They also bathed weekly and tried very hard to control vermin. Isolation also helped, and infections usually arrived only when they had to trade with Sandarr's fief or the corn people.

Unfortunately, trading was the lifeblood of the Cleft and so the diseases came. The strangling angel was a childhood disease and it claimed around two in ten children it touched. Adults could catch it as well, particularly if they hadn't had it in a very long time but their chances were better. Only one in ten died. Roxas had caught it when he was ten and Axel was eleven. He could still remember how sick he'd been and then, after he'd recovered, how afraid he'd been for the redhead. But they'd both survived the ordeal and wouldn't have to worry about catching it again for a long time but several of their playmates hadn't been as fortunate.

"My mother died soon after of a wasting illness." Riku continued grimly. "And father is determined to keep me safe. I want to join the army but when I started showing signs of healing talent he insisted I go to University and either join the priesthood or become a wizard." Roxas blinked at that and Axel eyed the silver haired boy in surprise. Healing talent was a very rare thing.

"Your father is right. One healer is worth ten warriors!" Axel said firmly and Roxas nodded. The Glisterheim might feel it was the place of a man to be a warrior, but a good healer was infinitely more valuable and more revered than a priest. Riku sighed.

"I know, I know. But we're having problems _now_ and really mastering my healing talent will take years. Longer if I decide to be a wizard." Riku brooded for a moment before shaking his head. "I suppose one more warrior wouldn't make much difference." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself and Roxas could sympathize. It would be hard, studying while great events were going on around you. "Sometimes, I wish I didn't have the talent. I really wanted to be a warrior." They could both empathize with that even more. Wizardry was a hard road to take, with a lot of reading and writing. The priesthood was only a little easier. Roxas and Axel had never felt any desire to take either of those paths.

After swimming a bit, they broke out the soap and had a proper wash. Then they did their best to clean their clothes, scrubbing them hard with the same soap. It wasn't the same as a proper deep cleaning but it would help. Then they strung the clothes out on a line to dry, keeping them far away from the horses. The movement of flapping clothes might startle them and even if it didn't, there was a definite possibility the clothes might get eaten. Axel gave the horses a grooming and checked their hooves as Roxas and Riku did their best to make some hot supper.

"That smells great! What are you guys making?" Axel called over and Roxas smiled as he stirred the contents of the copper pot. It had held grain just a short time ago, but the horses hadn't wasted any time finishing their rations.

"Just frying a bit of smoked sausage and onions." He called back. The sausage was heavily smoked to preserve it and didn't really taste that great, but it would be much better heated up with some fresh cooked onions and a bit of trail bread. Riku carefully wrapped some wild tubers in wet leaves before burying them in the coals. "Riku's found some redroot, but that won't be done for hours." They might have to eat those for breakfast. That was fine though. Raw redroot was disgusting but it was delicious cooked. Axel finished up with the horses and walked over, smiling.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly as they ate their food and chatted about various things. Roxas and Axel both laughed as Riku described the time he got kicked in the shin by a milk cow and ended up covered in milk when he knocked over the bucket. Axel cheerfully told the story of the goat that had almost disrobed Roxas as a child, and Roxas retaliated by telling Riku all about the time Axel had been attacked by a goose. Soon they were all laughing.

"So who wants first watch?" Riku asked when they had sobered a bit. Roxas thought about it a moment as Axel shrugged.

"You can have it." The blonde decided. First watch was easiest and while he didn't exactly distrust Riku's abilities, he didn't know the silver haired boy well either. "I'll take the middle and Axel can have the last." Middle was the hardest but Roxas didn't mind. Axel nodded cheerfully.

"Works for me." As the light began to fade they washed their dishes in the stream, filled up the horses' water again, then pulled out their bedrolls. Axel and Roxas stayed apart. While sharing their blankets and cuddling would be nice, Roxas didn't want to wake Axel until the start of his watch. That would be a bit hard on the redhead. It felt like he'd just gotten asleep when Riku's hand touched his shoulder. Roxas woke with a start, blinking as he looked up at Riku's pale face.

"It's your turn." Riku said and Roxas glanced up at the stars before nodding. It wasn't too hard to tell the passage of time from the stars, if you were used to outdoor camping. He pulled himself out of his bedroll as Riku crawled into his, taking a seat by the fire. He didn't look at the fire though. That would quickly render him night blind. Instead he looked out into the darkness, mind going blank as he scanned for any movement.

Despite his alertness, it was Jack the donkey who noticed something wrong.

_Hee-Haw! Hee-Haw!_ The loud bray sent Roxas to his feet and made Axel mutter a muffled complaint. The donkey continued to bray as the horses shifted, except for Axel's gelding. He was still asleep. Roxas spared a moment of wonder for that then concentrated on finding what had alarmed the donkey. He remembered Riku mentioning that donkey's made good guard dogs and it seemed he was right. _Hee-Haw!_

Roxas cursed as he finally spotted the movement. It was jerky and odd, but the dark forms approaching them were man shaped. He quickly shook Axel awake. Riku was already sitting up, woken by the sound of the donkey.

"We're under attack!" Roxas quickly went to Fleabite and pulled her tie free, mounting her bareback. The horse snorted and pawed the ground, settling down a bit with her master on her back. Axel's gelding woke up with a snort as he vaulted onboard. Riku didn't bother to get on his horse and Roxas smiled approvingly as he saw the silver haired man was building up the fire and making torches. If this was what he thought that would be –

"Zombies!" Roxas grimaced as the scent rolled over them. He and Axel charged together, their horses quickly building speed. For once Valdor was a credit to his name and the two horses trampled the first undead, breaking bones easily. Then Axel and Roxas were in the middle of them and began slicing apart the enemy. Congealed blood and less definable fluids went flying as Roxas lopped an arm off and Fleabite squealed in rage, kicking another zombie. The stench of death seemed to madden both the horses and Axel's gelding grabbed a zombie by the shoulder, crushing and shaking until Axel lopped its head off.

It wasn't an easy fight. The undead monsters kept attacking even with severed limbs, trying to bite and tear. Roxas could see a dreadful eagerness in their eyes, a desire for blood and flesh. But the monsters were slow and clumsy and Riku came behind them, setting the fallen on fire and attacking the others with his torch. The zombies burned well and Roxas spared a moment of worry for the grass around them. But there was no time to consider it and he kneed his horse, making her jump to the side to avoid another strike.

Finally Roxas whirled his horse, looking for more targets, and found there were none. Axel was panting and there was a large bite mark on his leg, but he was still a going concern and both the horses were uninjured. To Roxas relief, the grassland around them seemed to be fairly wet and the fire wasn't spreading. Still…

"Riku!" He called as he slid off his horse. The silver hair looked up from the body disposal. "Do we have any shovels? We should probably cover all this with dirt." That would put the fires out as well. Riku nodded.

"We have a shovel head. It shouldn't be hard to cut a pole." Axel winced as he dismounted his horse and Riku noticed. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a bite." Axel said bravely and Riku frowned.

"That's likely to get infected… I'll try to heal you as soon as we're done." Roxas winced at that but knew it was nothing but the truth. Nothing could be filthier than zombies and their bites were worse than a mad dog. It took time and Roxas was feeling punchy with fatigue, but they spread dirt over the charred zombie parts. The fire went out reluctantly but Roxas felt much safer without it burning. Fire wasn't a great threat in the Cleft but he knew from Gegnir's stories that it was something to be feared in the open plains. "That's good. Let me look at that bite." Roxas checked over the horses more thoroughly as Riku saw to Axel's hurts. He found one small gash on Fleabite's side and frowned, carefully cleaning it before leaving it be. It was small and not a bite mark so she would likely be fine. The horse nudged him and Roxas smiled, pushing her head away before going to fetch an apple from the bags. He cut it in half and fed it to the horses. They definitely deserved it. Then he looked up as Axel yelped.

"Sorry. I'm not very good at this yet." Riku mumbled as Roxas walked over. He could see the noble's face was tight with concentration and his hand was directly over Axel's injury. That must have been what had caused the yelp. Axel was gritting his teeth in pain but Riku didn't release his grip. "Just… a little… more…" Riku breathed heavily and Axel blinked, a surprised expression suddenly crossing his face. Riku drew away his hand and Roxas stared.

The wound was not entirely gone, but it was healed. If Roxas hadn't known better he'd have thought the injury was a week old. Axel prodded it then grinned widely and slapped Riku on the back. Roxas had to quickly grab the silver haired boy before he fell into the fire.

"Try not to kill your healer!" Roxas scolded the redhead as he steadied Riku. The young noble looked exhausted. "That takes a lot of energy?" He asked and Riku nodded as Axel looked a touch guilty. He just didn't know his strength sometimes.

"Yes, mostly because I'm still not too good at it. An experienced healer wouldn't have to exhaust himself." Riku shook his head and slumped down onto his bedroll. Roxas patted him on the shoulder as Axel fished the redroots out of the coals.

"Would something to eat help?" The redhead popped a root into a bowl as Riku looked up with a blink.

"It would, actually." Axel passed the bowl over and Roxas found a fork. They both watched Riku eat for a moment, and then Roxas looked up as Axel touched his shoulder. The redhead's green eyes were concerned for him.

"You should get some sleep. The donkey seems to think its all safe now." Roxas glanced over at Jack the jack and saw that the donkey was dozing off. "I'll take over the watch."

"Okay." From what he could tell, it was about time for Axel to take over anyway. They'd all be a bit short on sleep now but there was no way around that. Roxas wrapped himself up and thought of nothing at all. Sleep claimed him quickly.

Tomorrow would be another day.


	12. Bards are Trouble

Roxas rested his chin in his hand, looking out the window at the rain coming down.

They had arrived in Wartberg with the rain nipping at their heels and despite it being early, had decided to stay. According to Riku the roads turned into a soupy mess when it was wet, and this early in the spring there was a serious potential for a violent thunderstorm. From how the clouds were darkening and how heavy the rain was coming, Roxas thought that was quite likely. Riding in a thunderstorm would be both miserable and dangerous, so it only made sense to stop.

Riku was paying so instead of a dinky little inn, they were staying at a very nice one. That made Roxas a touch uneasy. Attitudes were clearly changing the further west they went, as Riku had predicted, and this was the first clear sign of it. Most of the people here clearly didn't think Axel could understand their language and Roxas had caught several derogatory references to the redhead. Fortunately Axel seemed mostly amused by it.

"As long as no one challenges me, I'm fine." Axel said confidentially to Roxas in the Glisterheim tongue when the blonde quizzed him. "In fact, I think I'll play stupid. It should be fun." Roxas shook his head at that with a smile. He could definitely see his friend doing that. "Oh, thank you." Axel quickly switched to the corn people's tongue as a barmaid arrived, carrying some beer. She smiled politely as Riku walked over. He had been dickering with the innkeeper over the expenses for their horses.

"So you boys want anything to eat?" She asked then continued as they nodded. "Special's the corn chowder. It comes with cornbread. We've also got some ham and cabbage soup and maybe a bit of eel pie."

"We'll have the special." Roxas said immediately. It was the only thing that sounded appetizing, which was probably intentional. "And more beer." He added as Axel drained his mug. She laughed, a thin and tinny sound before going to fetch their food. "Don't get drunk." Roxas warned and Axel snorted.

"With mugs this small? Don't be silly." Roxas chuckled softly before taking a drink of his own beer. Axel did have a point, the mugs here were much smaller. Which probably saved the innkeeper quite a bit of brew compared to what a Glisterheim innkeeper would need to dole out. The food arrived quickly and the barmaid dumped it on the table and took their money without a word, hurrying to serve some of the other customers. That suited Roxas just fine. He didn't much want to talk to the barmaid anyway.

They all dug into the food, which turned out to be excellent. The corn chowder was creamy and had just a hint of smoky flavor from the bacon the cook had added. The corn bread was a little dry, but dipped into the chowder it made a delicious meal. Soon they were laughing and chatting as the taproom filled up.

Roxas and Axel both looked up as they heard the sounds of a lute being tuned. Music was not very common in the Cleft. Mostly they used bone whistles and drums, and yeti horns for signals. The only person who owned a stringed instrument was young Balli, and his efforts had threatened to put the cows off their milk. This was the sound of someone who actually knew how to play and Roxas searched the room for the minstrel.

"Over there." Axel murmured, jerking his chin to the left. Roxas followed his gaze and finally spotted the minstrel by the bar. He was a young man dressed in a light green shirt with ribbons sewn onto the cuffs and shoulders. He was also wearing a leather jerkin and generally looked quite prosperous, although his hair was cut very oddly, short on the top and sides but long in the back. He shook out his cuffs and started to play. Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, just listening. The cascade of notes reminded him of a waterfall in the spring –

Then the man began to sing and Roxas blinked as he recognized the words. The song was in the Glisterheim tongue and he could easily guess why… it was an erotic ballade with very intricate descriptions of who did what to whom. Axel started to giggle until Roxas slapped him on the shoulder. Riku gave them both a curious look.

"What's so funny?" He asked, mystified. That almost set Axel off again but Roxas firmly stepped on his foot.

"Nothing." Roxas said. He thought perhaps the singer was having a joke on the audience and didn't want to out him in front of all the townspeople. There were plenty of respectable matrons in the crowd filtering in and he didn't think they'd be happy to know the details of what one woman was doing with her tongue. The three of them lingered long after their food was done, ordering more beer and listening to the minstrel. Eventually the singer took a break and they were all quite surprised when he came to their table with a plate of food and a mug of beer.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked cheerfully and Riku nodded. "Thank you!" The man pulled up a chair and began eating his chowder. "I'm Demyx. I noticed you seem to be a Glisterheim. Would you be mercenaries?" He asked innocently but there was an intent look in his blue eyes. Roxas frowned as Axel nodded cheerfully.

"We would be. That was a nice song, by the way." Axel said and Demyx grinned wickedly.

"It is, isn't it? I played once at the Glisterheim court. Well, before they banished me and tried to have me assassinated." Demyx plucked a few sad chords before slinging his lute over his back. "For seducing the King's nephew." He added and Riku almost choked on his beer. "And his daughter. And –"

"We get the picture." Roxas said as Axel looked at the bard wide-eyed. A treacherous thought suddenly occurred to him. If Demyx had seduced the King's nephew then he knew how… how backdoor sex went. Didn't he? Roxas made a mental note to brace himself and corner the singer in private. For now though… "So is there anything you need mercenaries for?" He figured the minstrel had some kind of ulterior motive. There were plenty of empty seats elsewhere. Demyx paused for a moment, chewing, then swallowed and took a drink of his beer before answering.

"Well, somewhat. You see, I've been trying to put together an expedition to some ruins not that far from here. There's been quite a few undead attacks on the walls recently." Demyx took a large drink of beer, as if washing away a foul taste. "Too many… and they all seem to be coming from that one particular direction, if you see what I mean. The ruins have always had some undead but not this many. So I've been thinking perhaps that's the source of the problem. Would you be interested in coming with me?" He asked. Roxas was about to refuse when Riku suddenly spoke.

"We'd be interested. But we'd need more information." He flashed the bard an apologetic smile, sea green eyes warm. "It's not that we don't trust you, but, well." Riku shrugged and Demyx nodded.

"Oh, of course, of course. The townsfolk can all vouch for me and I have some maps and history books you can consult." Demyx said and Riku nodded.

"Then tell us more." He invited the blonde and Demyx launched into his story as he ate. Roxas and Axel exchanged a glance, wondering what Riku thought he was doing. They'd been hired to bring him to the University, not accompany him into a zombie infested ruin!

Although from what Demyx was saying, zombies was the least of what they'd have to worry about if they went with the blonde. Roxas doubted he was lying about any of it. If he'd been trying to be dishonest, he wouldn't have mentioned wraiths, ghouls and banshees. Those were going to be a lot more challenging than zombies. When they were safely in a room Roxas finally had to ask.

"Riku, what do you think you're doing? We can't go investigate the ruins." Roxas said firmly as Axel investigated the room a bit.

"Two bedrooms! Excuse me Roxas, I need to go check on something." The redhead said brightly and Roxas nodded absently as he looked hard at Riku. The silver haired boy just smiled at him lazily as Axel left the room with a purposeful stride.

"Why can't we?" He asked, standing up and going over to the table to pour them a bit of wine. Riku tried a sip and grimaced at the taste. "Nasty cheap wine."

"Forget the stupid wine. You've drunk enough already." Roxas said impatiently, reflecting ruefully on the fact that he seemed to be the voice of reason. It wasn't a surprise though. Axel had always been impulsive and Riku had his own reasons for feeling the same way. It made him wish deeply for his mother and father. In the Cleft, he'd felt more free to be impulsive himself since Dagstyrr and Arnfasta were always there to keep things from getting out of hand. Why did he have to be the adult now? "Riku, your father told us to take you to the University. That's what we're going to do."

"Actually, he told you to obey me." Riku said sharply and Roxas hesitated. Technically, Riku was correct. Of course that was because his father had never _dreamed_ his son would disobey him this way. Roxas was fairly sure if they tied Riku up and carried him to the University the Squire would have no complaints. But technically Riku was correct. Roxas hesitated then took a seat, noticing the chairs were rather nice. Very sturdy wood covered in warm, plush fabric. Like most of the towns they'd seen, the inn favored wood rather than stone for its construction.

"Riku, I'm pretty sure your father would have a fit if he knew you were even contemplating doing this." Roxas said as reasonably as he could. "And you heard what Demyx said about the monsters. What makes you think we could succeed?"

"I'm a healer." Riku said with a stubborn edge to his voice. "You and Axel are warriors and Demyx knows some magic. That's about the best team we could get!" Roxas frowned. Riku did have a point. All bards were versed in some magic and if Demyx had really played for the Court of Unr then he was a very good bard indeed when he could keep his pants in place.

"If we don't get overwhelmed by a legion of zombies." Roxas said but Riku dismissed the possibility with a wave of his hand.

"They don't attack in large numbers, Demyx said." Riku reminded him and Roxas nodded reluctantly. The singer had said that the monsters attacking the town only did so in very small groups, although they were fearsome. They were doing a lot more damage to the outlying farms and that was quite bad, since this was the planting season. But the undead weren't forming anything like an army. The largest group sighted had been perhaps ten zombies. The wraiths and ghouls ran in groups of five at the most, and banshees traveled alone. "The ruins might be infested but these creatures aren't like people. We should be able to confront them in smaller groups."

"Um." Roxas considered everything he knew about undead and decided Riku was right. They were cunning rather than intelligent and had no real use for each other. They might pack up but each 'pack' would have no regard for others. "That's true." To his own amused horror, the blonde felt himself weakening. He was still a young man and now that he'd been forced to leave him, it would be nice to get his name in the chants. Escorting a noble to the University wasn't going to do that, but cleaning out an entire nest of undead and saving a large number of corn people might. "I don't know…" Duty said he should escort Riku properly. But his heart said to go with Riku's plan.

"Please Roxas. I have to do something for my people. It isn't fair that we have to face this kind of menace when the Vallaheim are attacking the coast and the Glisterheim might attack from the north." Riku said softly and Roxas winced at the look on his face. That wasn't really a surprise. He and Axel had both decided the Glisterheim must be planning an attack, or why would the Court of Unr have been so upset about the copper? "I know you're a Glisterheim but this just isn't right."

"No, it's not." Roxas agreed. Riku was absolutely right. There was no honor in attacking an opponent weakened by such beasts. Although there was no reason not to take advantage, really, and Roxas didn't blame the Court of Unr for using the misfortune of the plainspeople to their advantage. But he didn't feel like a traitor for taking that unfair advantage away if he could. "Alright. I'll do it." Roxas finally said and Riku grinned widely, taking a deep drink of his wine.

"I knew I could count on you." Roxas made a face at that and poured himself a bit of wine, sipping it. It really was rather vile and quite weak, but that was fine. He didn't want to have a hangover the next day. Axel came back into the rooms and Roxas blinked at him.

"Where were you?" The redhead had been gone for a surprisingly long time and he was holding a small earthenware jar. The redhead shot him a quick smile although Roxas noticed the tips of his ears were very red.

"Oh, just out getting some hand lotion." Axel said innocently and Roxas frowned. He had the distinct feeling he was missing something. "Nothing to worry about. So what have you guys decided?" It sounded like Axel didn't care either way and Roxas felt his irritation stirring. Why couldn't the redhead take anything seriously?

"We're going to hunt undead. Why don't you go show Roxas what the hand lotion is for?" Riku suggested and Roxas stared at him, baffled, as Axel's ears turned bright red. Then he yelped as Axel caught his shoulder, pulling him towards the bedroom.

"Axel, you snail! What's going on?" Roxas squirmed as Riku laughed. Axel firmly shut the door behind them and Roxas looked up to see he was holding back laughter.

"S-Sorry." The redhead managed to say breathlessly as Roxas scowled. "I just – had to ask Demyx how you – you know. I don't know how Riku knew." Roxas blinked at that. Axel had been thinking the exact same thing he had been!

"Oh. Well, what is the lotion for?" Roxas eyed it dubiously as Axel pulled open the top. It smelled like the flowery stuff Arnfasta used when heavy cleaning left her hands chapped and sore. He wasn't sure he wanted Axel getting anywhere near him with it.

"I have to, well, put this on you." Roxas edged away as Axel grinned. "Hey, it won't take away your manhood! I promise." Axel sniffed the stuff and made a face. "I think."

"You're so silly." Roxas said fondly, stepping up to his lover and giving him a hug. "Okay. You're the one who talked to Demyx, so I'll let you show me what you've learned." That made the redhead swallow.

"It was only a few minutes of talking." He said hurriedly and Roxas just looked at him patiently. "But I'll try my best?"

"Okay." This was all making Roxas very nervous, but he wanted to do it. He wanted to be with Axel completely, wanted to feel the redhead inside him. Wanted to go inside the redhead. But to do that they needed to experiment and at least now they knew they needed lotion. Roxas wasn't surprised. For something this unnatural, there would have to be special preparations. The blonde pulled off his armor, carefully setting it on a chair then began undoing his clothes. Then there were warm hands helping him and Roxas blinked, seeing that Axel was already naked. How had he gotten off his clothes so fast? And was he aroused already? "I can see you're happy to see me." He teased gently as Axel helped him with the last of his clothing. The redhead smiled, brushing his lips over Roxas' cheek.

"I've been wanting to do this again so badly." Axel's voice was a warm purr that made heat tug at Roxas' stomach. The other inns hadn't had any suites like this, two rooms connected with a door, so they had been forced to share a room with Riku. The lack of privacy had kept the new lovers from experimenting much but now they were finally alone and Roxas felt a shiver of anticipation as he went to the bed. The sight of Axel's arousal stirred him and he wasn't surprised to find he was already half-erect. Then Axel touched him, his hand slick from the lotion and Roxas forgot to think about anything for a moment.

"Ah!" The blonde gasped as Axel slowly stroked him. The lubricant made it incomparably better and Roxas vaguely wondered why that had never occurred to him before. He could easily have stolen some of his mother's hand cream – then Axel slipped a hand behind him and warm fingers touched him in a spot that was just _wrong._ Roxas grunted, gripping Axel's shoulders tightly as he felt a finger ease past the tight ring of muscle. This wasn't right this didn't feel good it wasn't what he –

"Roxas." Axel. Axel was kissing him, nuzzling his cheek. "Roxas, you need to relax. You feel like a board." Roxas blinked as he heard the worry in Axel's voice. "It's okay, this will feel good but you need to relax." Roxas took a shaky breath and struggled to obey. He trusted Axel. Axel was his best friend and his only love. The redhead wouldn't hurt him. Roxas looked up into bright green eyes, feeling Axel's flat stomach against his erection as they kissed again. That felt nice… when the finger slid into him again, Roxas struggled to relax into it. It just felt odd then, not disgusting and foreign. Just strange and a touch uncomfortable as Axel slowly worked him open, trying to get him ready. That made Roxas worry again. The redhead's cock was proportional to the rest of him, and he was a Glisterheim which meant tall. Very tall. How was he going to fit?

"_Ah!_" Roxas suddenly shuddered as Axel found something _good_ inside him. The feeling was completely unexpected and he whimpered in loss as Axel drew away, startled. But the redhead seemed to understand what had happened and laughed softly, reaching in to stroke that spot again.

"So Demyx was right." Roxas would have asked what Demyx was right about but the way Axel was touching him right _there_ was undoing his control. Roxas thrust up against him eagerly, grinding their hips together as he enjoyed that wonderful _feeling._ "Ravana!" Axel's voice was drenched in desire and the redhead pulled his hand away, smearing more of the lotion on his cock. Roxas felt a moment of fear as he felt the tip of Axel's erection prodding at him, then began slowly easing inside of him.

"Axel." Roxas panted, kissing the redhead passionately as he felt that huge intrusion. It wasn't good at first but he wanted it, wanted it like nothing he'd ever wanted before in his life. Then the redhead brushed that special spot inside him and Roxas just wanted to scream. "_Ah!_" He struggled to keep his voice down and Axel helped by kissing him again, muffling the sounds.

"I love you Roxas. I love you." Axel whispered in his ear as they moved together, learning each other in the most intimate way possible. Axel was taking it slow, treating him so tenderly despite his own need and Roxas found that it was… a bit too slow. He wanted more. He _needed_ more.

"Not going to break." He managed to say, hands sliding into bright red hair. "F-faster – more –" Axel laughed breathlessly and speeded his movements, rocking Roxas into the bed with every thrust. Roxas threw back his head as he angled himself so he slid over that special spot again, the spot that made white hot pleasure sing through every fibre of his body. The blonde was vaguely aware that he was being loud, he was keening out his pleasure but he didn't care. Axel didn't care either anymore, going harder and faster and they were both going to –

"_Axel!_" Roxas cried out his name as the pleasure reached a sharp peak. The exquisite moment of orgasm seemed to go on for an eternity and Roxas heard Axel's sharp intake of breath, the feeling of his best friend letting go in his body. It was messy but oh so right and Roxas relaxed, smiling as he gazed up into his friends face. "I love you." He said drowsily as the redhead pulled away, laying down on the bed beside him.

"Mmm, I love you more." Axel said sleepily, sliding an arm over his chest. Roxas laughed and cuddled up, almost dozing off already.

"It's not a competition… snail…" He thought he heard Axel murmuring something back but wasn't sure of the words before sleep dragged him under.


End file.
